Practical 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 liven up your home! Plus, it's also among the most precious and heartwarming gifts we can receive on special occasions.
Sadly, we all know that blooms don't last forever. But with a little effort and a great deal of TLC, you can keep your dear blossoms fresh and blooming for longer!
For a more in-depth manual on the use of color and design in floristry, contact us for the Best Florist in Aledo Texas.
We've come up with a simple guideline to help you preserve your beloved flowers' vibrance for a longer time. Enjoy your gorgeous bouquet to the fullest by following these easy steps!
Clean your vase
Containers accumulate 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 easy and inexpensive - you'll have all you need at home! Just wash with hot water, a lid of bleach, and let it dry.
Another homemade cleaning solution is a salt and vinegar paste. Just 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 warm water, and leave to dry.
Add flower food
Yep, you read it right: cut flowers need food, too! It enables them to bloom in full health and helps prevent infections that can reduce 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 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 plenty of substitutes to this recipe! Clear soda, apple cider vinegar, and even vodka have been proven effective 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 lead to 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 primary tips for keeping flowers fresh is to cut their stems! This technique creates a larger 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 important to be careful, though! Poor 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 flourish, but different blooms have different demands! Before you set them in water, check on 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 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 to only 1/2 of your vase.
Blooms with bulbous stems like daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips enjoy a bit of a chill, so place them in cool water up to 1/3 of your vase.
Set in a cool area
Most flowers appreciate cooler spots away from direct sunlight. You can still place them by the windows to create a serene look for your home; just be 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 set 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 cooling units, fire places, heating vents, radiators, or televisions - these can lead to dehydration and early wilting.
Additional 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 fall into your water. These elements promote an optimal environment for bacterial growth. So it's necessary to change your water every 2-3 days.
For best results, you can wash the vase before you replace the water. Also, make sure to stir 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 "heal" themselves by sealing the wound which blocks it off to water supply and drastically decreases 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 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 blossomed. 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 allows your roses to spend their energy on keeping newer, more attractive petals fresh.
Revive - Wilting blooms can be revitalized by trimming off an inch from the bottom 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 spot in your home should be good enough to keep them flourishing.
Keep apart - Avoid overcrowding your vase when you have peonies in a mixed bouquet. They're quite sensitive and fragile, so give them ample space for their big blossoms to bloom.
Gardenias
No sniffing - Smelling these temptingly fragrant flowers can actually result in early wilting! Sounds strange, but gardenias enjoy their privacy and definitely 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 pull the pollen off or remove the anthers by hand.
Protect - Lilies are especially delicate 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 fully and vibrantly with a few sprays of water to their petals every day.
Sustain - Again, these flowers just love their water! Be sure they always get a tall drink and change their water more repeatedly.
Tulips
Take note of temperature - Tulips usually 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 put them in front of an air-conditioner.
Turn, turn, turn - These fast-growing blooms bend over and get knotted up a lot, so be sure to rotate their vase every day.
Need Help? Contact the Best Florist in Aledo Texas.
