Top 5 Ways to Care for Your Flowers

Replenish the Water Frequently

Change the water entirely every 2-3 days. Flowers drink a lot of water and it is not uncommon for a large flower arrangement to suck up all the water in a vase. By changing the water in the vase every few days it will help keep your flowers fresh longer. For large formal arrangements, carefully tip the vase over a sink to let the water drain without disturbing the design and refill with cool water.

Trim Your Stems

Trim at least a half inch of stem off your flowers before you put them in a vase and each time you change the water. By cutting the stems just before placing them in water again, you expose fresh tissue that can suck up the water much more efficiently.

Keep your Flowers Away from Heat and Bright Light

Sun and heat will encourage them to “mature” and thus quicken their demise. Instead, keep your cut flowers in a cool dark spot if you would like them to last as long as possible.

Don’t Sit Flowers Next to Fruit

Avoid sitting your flowers beside ripening fruit or vegetables, especially bananas and apples. Ripening fruit gives off an odorless invisible gas called ethylene and it’s rather deadly to flowers.

Use Sharp Scissors When Cutting Flowers

Use sharp scissors when cutting flowers. If you use dull old scissors or snips to trim your flowers, you are often smashing, and thus damaging, the tissue/cells at the end of the stem. Damaged cells cannot absorb water as effectively as healthy cells. Sharp clean scissors ensure a clean cut that leaves cells unharmed.

 

Written by Candace Laczko of Rose & Vine Florals