Whether you have been given a bouquet of flowers by someone special or work colleague, it is important to know how to make sure they last so you can enjoy them for longer.
Here are 6 secrets from Henry's Place on how to ensure your beautiful blooms last as long as possible.
1. FRESH WATER: Clean, fresh water not only guarantees bacteria and mold do not build in the water, but also allows you the opportunity to feed the flowers regularly. For the longest lasting blooms change the water everyday, but every few days is also fine. Either way, you don’t drink just one cup of water a week and neither should your flowers. Keep them fresh and hydrated.
Water temperature affects the blooms and how quickly they open. If you’d like to open flowers faster use room temperature water. The warmth allows for faster absorption of the H2O through the stems, causing the bloom to open faster. Once open, use cool water (or simply add some ice cubes to the vase) in order to keep the blooms lasting longer. Though water still absorbs into the stem, colder water slows any decay, bacteria or mold from breaking down the organic matter.
2. CUT THE STEMS: One of the most common mistakes people make after receiving flowers is forgetting to cut the stems. Use garden shears to trim one to two inches off and cut at an angle. Cutting the stems at an angle allows for better water intake since they aren’t sitting flat on the bottom of a vase. After the initial cut, be sure to re-trim your bouquet once every few days.
3. PRUNE: Remove any leaves below the water line. It will not only make your bouquet look better, but also prevent bacterial growth. Some flowers, like roses, have guard petals which are the two or three outermost petals of the flower. Removing these will allow your flower to open up fully. After your initial pruning, you should check your flowers daily for dead or loose leaves and petals in order to avoid bacterial rot.
4. FLOWER FOOD: Adding flower food to your vase of fresh flowers is a tried and true way to keep your blooms fresh longer.
Don't have any flower food to hand?... Don't worry! You can always try this home remedy instead: SODA. Yes you read that right!
Pour ¼ cup of soda in a vase full of fresh flowers. The sugar in soda is said to make your blooms last longer and even smelling sweeter too.
5. SPRITZ: As flowers also drink through their petals as well as their stems, a quick spritz from a mister bottle will give them a little refresh each day.
6. REFRIGERATE: There's a reason florists keep their flowers in a refrigerated space, and a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that flowers thrive in a cool environment. The lower temperatures slow down the ageing process – especially in summer.
Simply place your flowers, still in the vase, into the fridge before bed each night and let them chill out for six to eight hours, then put them on display again in the morning.
BONUS TIP: Shop local. Here at Henry's Place we source all our flowers and foliage from our family farm and local flower market. This means that your bouquet of flowers will last longer because the time between being picked, beautifully arranged and delivered to you is the shortest time possible. Thus ensuring you receive the freshest cuts from our place to yours.
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