Practical Guide To Keeping Flowers Fresh For Longer

Why Bloom Care Makes All The Difference

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

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

We've created a simple guideline to help you maintain your beloved flowers' vibrance for a longer time. Enjoy your beautiful bouquet to the fullest by following these easy 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 dirt 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 really effortless and inexpensive - you'll have everything you need at home! Just wash with warm water, a lid of bleach, and let it dry.

Another DIY cleaning solution is a salt and vinegar paste. Simply mix a tablespoon of salt with a tablespoon of vinegar, spread 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 tepid water, and leave to dry.

Add flower food

Yep, you read it right: cut flowers need food, too! It allows them to blossom in full health and helps ward off 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 controls fungi and bacterial growth.

Your local nursery or online stores may have flower food packets readily available. But if you plan 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 lots 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 on the stems and soaked in water will rot right away, introducing bacteria to your flowers which can bring about disease and infection.

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

Cut stems

One of the primary 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 absorb more water and delay wilting.

Simply cut an inch from the stems at a 45-degree angle. It's crucial to be careful, though! Bad cutting techniques can easily lead to 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 thrive, but different blooms have different needs! Before you put them in water, look up their specific water requirements.

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

Soft-stemmed flowers like anemones, freesias, and ranunculuses prefer shallow water. You can put 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 put them in cold water up to 1/3 of your vase.

Set in a cool area

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

If you enjoy 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 strange, but ripening fruits actually emit small amounts of ethylene gas that cause flowers to brown and age 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 lead to dehydration and early wilting.

Extra Care Tips

Change water and food

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

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

Re-cut stems

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

This is why re-cutting stems is essential! It opens up your flowers' stems so they can take in more water; plus, it helps get rid of blockages and prevent infections as well.

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

Important Care Advice For Your Favorite Flowers

Roses

Remove - Roses have "guard petals" which guard the inner buds that have not yet opened. Florists keep them to guarantee 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, more attractive petals fresh.

Revive - Wilting blooms can be restored by snipping off an inch from the base of the stem, then setting the roses in a tub of water. Keep them submerged for 30-60 minutes.

Peonies (7-9 days).

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

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

Gardenias.

No sniffing - Smelling these temptingly aromatic blooms can actually cause early wilting! Sounds weird, 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 clothing and furniture. Simply pick the pollen off or remove the anthers by hand.

Protect - Lilies are especially delicate flowers. Their petals tend to bruise a lot, so make 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! Be sure they always get a tall drink and replace their water more regularly.

Tulips.

Take note of temperature - Tulips 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 turn their vase every day.

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