You've just received a fresh bouquet of flowers, what's next? Whilst you could just put them in a vase there are a few little tips and tricks you can do to make sure that your flowers stay fresh for you to enjoy them for longer.
Here is our guide to 6 Easy Steps to Keep Flowers Fresh.
Step One: Cut the Stems
Cut base of stems about 1cm to 2 cm. The cut should be diagonal to increase the surface area that can draw up water. Place the flowers in water immediately after cutting.
Step Two: Place in Cool Water
Room temperature water is ideal for most cut flowers, except for bulbs that bloom in cool weather, such as tulips and daffodils. Cool-season bulb flowers should be kept in water that is cooler than room temperature. Water that is slightly warmer than room temperature can help unopened flowers to bloom faster, but the flowers will also fade faster.
Step Three: Trim Leaves and follage That Are Below Water
Leaves that are below water will rot and shorten the life of your flowers. If the leaves remain on the stem under water, they become slimy from bacteria that cause disease. Before placing cut flowers in water, snip off below-water leaves to keep flowers fresh. Not only will cutting off the excess leaves make the bouquet last longer, but it will also make the flowers look better in the vase.
Step Four: Add Flower Food to the Water
A selection of Flower Jam flower bouquets will come with flower food, which you can place in the vase when the flowers arrive.
Usually flower food should contain sugar for food and acid to help the stems absorb water. For example, superfine sugar and a crushed vitamin C tablet. Some of flower experts recommends adding two tablespoons each of apple cider vinegar and sugar. Add bleach or vodka to the food to kill bacteria that can feed on the sugar, and you have flower food that will help keep those blossoms fresh.
A selection of Flower Jam flower bouquets will come with flower food, which you can place in the vase when the flowers arrive.
Step Five: Change Water Every Three Days
To avoid buildup of bacteria that can kill your cut flowers, change the water every three days. The same sugar that feeds your flowers also feeds bacteria in the water and makes the water cloudy. For example, flowers fed with a sugary lemon soda began to fade after two days. Wash the vase as well to remove all traces of bacteria. Cut an additional 1-2 centimetres off the ends of the stems to create a fresh surface for water absorption. If there are some dead flowers, simply take those out of the arrangement in move the living flowers to a smaller vase to continue to enjoy them.
Step Six: Keep in a Cool Environment
Flowers will fade faster in direct sunlight or heat. Keep your flowers in an area that gets bright but indirect sunlight and keep them away from heat vents, space heaters, and other direct heat sources.Cut flowers add beauty and fragrance to the home.
Try these tips so that you can enjoy your flowers for as long as possible.
If you send a floral bouquet for a special occasion, we will ad brochure with tis tips to recipient, so you don’t need to worry.