Nothing brightens your home quite like a bouquet of fresh flowers, but it’s disappointing when they wilt just days after you bring them inside. Treat your flowers right and you can make them last a lot longer. How to keep your flowers looking beautiful, according to the experts.
Start with a Clean Vase
Bacteria is your enemy – Wash your vase with mild detergent and hot water before putting together a bouquet. Bacteria from old flowers can contaminate your new bouquet. For advice from a Tewkesbury Florist, visit //flowershedtewkesbury.co.uk/
Trim the Stems Properly
Cut each stem straight downward at a 45-degree angle — remove about 2 centimetres with sharp scissors or secateurs. Because the bottom slopes, it opens up an area for water consumption and stops stems from laying flat on the base of your flower holder. Discard any leaves that will be submerged in the water, as it causes them to rot and create bacteria.
Use Flower Food
Those little sachets that you receive with your bouquets are not just a marketing gimmick but they do work. Flower food has sugar to feed the blossom, acidify water so that the pH is more suitable for plants to thrive. If you do not have flower food, then a teaspoon of sugar and just a wee bit of bleach in the water will serve as an alternative.
Choose the Right Water Temperature
Although not all flowers require lukewarm water, they will all absorb it more easily than cold water. On the other hand, most bulb flowers need cold water — for example tulips and daffodils.
Location Matters
Avoid direct sunlight, heating vents and fruit bowls for your flower arrangements. Ethylene gas is released by ripening fruit and increases the rate of ageing in flowers. Finally, to make sure blooms have a long life, keep them away from draughts and heat sources.
Change the Water Regularly
Give the vase a quick clean each time, and replace with fresh water every two to three days. With each new water change, snip half an inch off the stems so that they continue to absorb water well.
Remove Dying Flowers
Remove individual flowers as they begin to fade. Flowers send out ethylene gas when they die, which is like a ticking time bomb to the rest of your bouquet.
Special Care for Specific Flowers
Some flowers need extra attention. Roses do well to be lightly crushed at the base. Split or crush woodier stems such as lilac. The tulips will keep growing in the vase so be sure to check the water level daily.