Flower Shop Chicago IL

Florist in Chicago IL

Handy Guide To Keeping Flowers Fresh For Longer

Why Bloom Care Makes All The Difference

There's nothing like a bouquet of flowers to brighten your mood and spruce up your home! Plus, it's also among the most special and heartfelt gifts we can receive on special occasions.

Sadly, we all know that blooms don't last forever. But with a little work and a great deal of TLC, you can keep your precious blossoms fresh and blooming for longer!

We've come up with a simple guideline to help you preserve your beloved flowers' vibrance for a long time. Enjoy your beautiful bouquet to the fullest by following these simple steps!

If you're interested in a formal course or want to get certified as an expert on all things about flowers, we recommend looking into professional bodies and colleges in gardening and floristry such as the American Institute of Floral Designers of the AIFD (www.aifd.org), the American Floral Endowment (www.endowment.org), and other similar organizations offering programs specializing in floristry.

Clean your vase

Containers collect a lot of dust and debris that can make your water cloudy and affect your flowers. Even if your vase is newly-bought, be sure to wash it for safety.

Cleaning your vase is very simple and cheap - you'll have everything you need around the house! Just wash with warm water, a cap of bleach, and let it dry.

Another homemade cleaning solution is a salt and vinegar paste. Simply mix a tablespoon of salt with a tablespoon of vinegar, apply the mixture to your vase with a clean cloth or brush, and let it set for half an hour. Afterwards, rub it off until all residue is removed, rinse out with warm water, and let dry.

Add flower food

Yup, you read it right: cut flowers need food, too! It allows them to bloom in full health and helps avoid infections that can shorten their lifespan.

Flower food has three components: 1) citric acid, which balances the pH level of water for optimum health; 2) sugar, which boosts their energy; and 3) bleach, which inhibits fungi and bacterial growth.

Your local nursery or online stores may have flower food packets readily available. But if you want to make your own at home, the recipe is easy to follow! All you need is 1 quart of water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of bleach, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

There are also loads of substitutes to this recipe! Clear soda, apple cider vinegar, and even vodka have been proven successful at nourishing flowers.

Prune away

Leaves and foliage that are left behind on the stems and submerged in water will rot quickly, introducing bacteria to your flowers which can bring about disease and infection.

So it's a great idea to prune your flowers before placing them in your vase and make sure that there are no leaves below the waterline.

Cut stems

One of the best tips for keeping flowers fresh is to cut their stems! This technique creates a bigger opening at the bottom of the stem, allowing your blooms to take in more water and delay wilting.

Just cut an inch from the stems at a 45-degree angle. It's important to be careful, though! Bad cutting techniques can easily result in crushed stems which keep your flowers from absorbing water

To prevent this, refrain from using dull scissors or blades. Use a sharp knife or sharp shears instead for a guaranteed smooth and clean cut.

Place in water.

All flowers need water to flourish, but different blooms have different needs! Before you set them in water, check on their precise water requirements.

Flowers with woody and semi-woody stems like roses, mimosas, lilies, chrysanthemums, and carnations tend to drink a lot. Put them in warm water filled to about 2/3 of your vase.

Soft-stemmed blooms like anemones, freesias, and ranunculuses prefer shallow water. You can place them in warm water filled up to only 1/2 of your vase.

Flowers with bulbous stems like daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips enjoy a bit of a chill, so set them in cool water up to 1/3 of your vase.

Set in a cool area

Most flowers prefer cooler spots out of direct sunlight. You can still set them by the windows to create a peaceful look for your home; just see to it that they're kept away from light and that they don't touch the glass.

If you love having flowers as a centerpiece for your dining table or kitchen, make sure you place them where there are no fruits close by. This may sound unusual, but ripening fruits actually release small amounts of ethylene gas that cause flowers to brown and mature earlier than normal.

It's also best to keep them far from anything that releases or generates heat, such as air conditioning units, fire places, heating vents, radiators, or televisions - these can result in dehydration and early wilting.

Extra Care Tips

Change water and food

Water can collect dust and particles from your surroundings, while leaves and stems can break off your flowers and drop into your water. These elements cultivate an optimal environment for bacterial growth. So it's vital to change your water every 2-3 days.

For best results, you can wash the vase before you change the water. Also, be sure to mix in fresh flower food to top up your flowers' nutrients!

Re-cut stems

Whenever you cut flowers, you create a "wound" at the bottom of the stem. So flowers "heal" themselves by sealing the wound which shuts it off to water supply and significantly lessens their water intake.

This is why re-cutting stems is important! It opens up your flowers' stems so they can absorb more water; plus, it helps remove blockages and inhibit infections as well.

Simply snip off about half an inch off the stem every three days and you'll be sure to prolong your flowers' lives!

Special Care Advice For Your Favorite Flowers

Roses

Remove - Roses have "guard petals" which shield the inner buds that have not yet bloomed. Florists keep them to secure the safety of your roses while they're being delivered, but it's risk-free to remove them once they arrive. This also lets your roses to spend their energy on keeping newer, prettier petals fresh.

Revive - Wilting blooms can be revived by shearing off an inch from the base of the stem, then putting the roses in a bucket of water. Keep them soaking for 30-60 minutes.

Peonies (7-9 days).

Keep cool - Peonies enjoy cool surroundings, so some people wrap and store them in the fridge to keep them fresh. But setting them in a shady spot in your home should be enough to keep them flourishing.

Keep apart - Avoid overcrowding your vase when you have peonies in a mixed bouquet. They're quite delicate and fragile, so give them ample space for their big blossoms to flourish.

Gardenias.

No sniffing - Smelling these temptingly fragrant flowers can actually result in early wilting! Sounds strange, but gardenias enjoy their privacy and actually turn brown when sniffed.

Lilies.

Pluck - Take note of your lilies' anthers; they're very likely to be covered in pollen that can stain fabric on your clothes and furniture. Simply pluck the pollen off or clear away the anthers by hand.

Protect - Lilies are especially frail flowers. Their petals tend to bruise a lot, so be sure to handle them carefully when you're recutting stems or removing anthers.

Hydrangeas.

Spray - You can keep your hydrangeas growing perfectly and vibrantly with a few spritzes of water to their petals every day.

Sustain - Again, these flowers just love their water! See to it that they always get a tall drink and replace their water more consistently.

Tulips.

Take note of temperature - Tulips often tend to be more sensitive to changes in temperature. They enjoy cooler surroundings, so if you see their blooms start to open on a hot day, just set them in front of an air-conditioner.

Turn, turn, turn - These fast-growing blooms bend over and get knotted up a lot, so make sure to rotate their vase every day.