Here are some simple tips on how to care for cut flowers. Keep your blooms fresher for longer!
Everyone loves receiving beautiful flowers but we don’t all know how to care for them! You won’t believe how much longer your bouquet can last if you just follow a few simple tips. You don’t need to have a green thumb or be a florist to get the most out of your blooms – simply follow these tips on how to care for cut flowers and make your flowers last longer.
Quick Tips for Looking After Flowers
Once your bouquet has arrived, you should follow the steps below:
1. Remove packaging
2. Trim stems at an angle
3. Remove guard petals
4. Remove leaves on stems that fall below the waterline
5. Put the flowers in a clean vase with lukewarm water and add food provided
6. Display in an area away from drafts, heat, direct sunshine or fresh fruit
7. Ensure the vase remains clean and change the water every few days.
For a little more detail, keep reading!
Cut Stems at an Angle
Once you have carefully removed all packaging, use a sharp knife to cut the stems at a 45 degree angle to a suitable length. This will depend on the vase you are using – if it is tall, only trim away a small amount, but you can trim them more if you’re using a small vase. Always remove at least 2-3cm (1 inch).
This helps in two ways, firstly this is an important step for the life span of your bouquet, as it will help your flowers to take in water. Secondly, it will also help when arranging your flowers. If you don’t trim the stems to fit your vase the bouquet won’t look as beautiful as it can be. There’s nothing worse than a bouquet of flowers with long stems placed in a short vase – you’ve gotta trim em!
Be careful when trimming the stems, try not to squash or bruise the area you are cutting, as this can reduce water intake and therefore reduce the life of your blooms! Avoid using scissors to trim as these can crush the stems. A sharp knife or secateurs are much safer choices.
You should trim the stems again after a few days – this will refresh your flowers and help them to continue to absorb essential water.
Remove Guard Petals
This is an important step if your bouquet contains roses. Roses often arrive with ‘guard petals’, which are the outer petals that are there to protect your roses in transit, and to ensure your flowers arrive in the best condition. Guard petals may appear wilted and discoloured when your flowers arrive; however the petals beneath will be colourful and healthy.
Gently peel away guard petals as they will often look a little worse for wear and the appearance of your bouquet will benefit from them being taken off. Be careful not to pull them off with too much force.
Remove Leaves Below the Waterline
Remove any leaves on the stems that will be below the waterline. This is to help keep the water clean and reduce the amount of nasty bacteria.
Leaves in water will decay, which can promote the growth of fungi and bacteria. This will prevent proper hydration in the stems, and reduce the lifespan of your flowers.
Put Flowers in Clean Water & Add Flower Food
Place your flowers in a clean vase with clean, lukewarm water. Flowers take in warmer water more easily than cold water, and it’s important that both the vase and water are clean to avoid bacteria build up.
Flower food is included with all our bouquets, and should be added to the water. This includes essential nutrients that your flowers lose once they are cut, as well as water softeners, pH regulators and water absorption promoters. These ingredients stimulate the blooms, leaves, and stems to keep them fresh and healthy for as long as possible.
Place Bouquet in a Suitable Location
Think about the area you are going to place your beautiful flowers in! Don’t put your flowers in areas of direct heat, sunshine, drafts, or underneath fans. Drafts and excess heat cause your flowers to lose water more quickly, which can cause them to wilt.
Always keep cut flowers away from fresh fruit. Fresh fruit gives off the chemical ethylene as it ripens which poisons flowers and causes them to age prematurely.
We hope that these simple tips have helped you with how to care for cut flowers! If you’re looking for a bunch why not check out our blooms? We have a wide variety of beautiful flowers to choose from, such as roses, lilies, carnations and much more!
