Flower Care
As I’m sure many of you can relate, having fresh flower arrangements is one of my favorite ways to decorate my home. I’m probably biased, cause I am a florist ;) but I think we can all agree, they are such a wonderful way to help brighten up a room! Plus, there’s just something so special about the fact that those flowers grew and bloomed just for you to enjoy. Nature is absolutely remarkable and we are so lucky to enjoy the beauty of it!
Now, once cut, flowers have a short life span. However, with the proper care, that life span can be extended to let you enjoy them a little longer!
Every flower type’s life span varies one to another, but taking these steps with each flower variety will help them to last longer than their typical life span!
FLOWER CARE TIPS
prune the leaves
Once you buy or receive your flowers, the first thing you’ll want to do is pull the leaves off the stems, at least to the point of the water line. I usually prefer to pull off all the leaves, unless I want the look of a few leaves at the very top of the stem near the bud.
Pulling off the leaves, especially below the water line, helps prevent bacteria growth in the stems and gives your blooms a longer chance of living. Removing the leaves also allows the nutrients of the water to travel faster to the flower head.
Cut the stems
Cut an inch or two off of each stem with CLEAN shears at a 45 degree angle. Cutting the stems at an angle gives the stem more surface area to absorb water.
*Be sure to cut your stems every few days!
Remove any dead petals
Pluck any petals that are dying or show any sign of bacteria. It’s important to remove any part of the flower that could cause bacteria to spread.
*Also, make sure to check your flowers daily for any dead or wilting petals to remove.
Some flower varieties, such as roses, also have guard petals on the outer layers. These are usually a slightly discolored. Removing these petals allows the flower to bloom fully.
Water!
Flower NEED water to live! The sooner they are placed in water, the longer they will live. Flowers without a water source will wilt and die within a couple hours, so water is an absolute necessity.
Fill your vase with room temperature water for the flowers. You don’t want the water to be too frigid or warm or it will cause your flowers to wilt.
*Also, make sure to change out the water every few days!
Flower Food
If you have flower food, great! Use it. Using flower food can help to extend the vase life of your flowers as well.
There are a lot of different tricks out there for flower water, but many of them surprisingly don’t work as well as they claim to. The best method is plain water or water with the provided flower food. There are a few other methods that work fairly well, but none as great as these options.
I rarely add anything to my flower water and I’ve always had them last longer than normal. With the proper care, flower food isn’t as necessary in my opinion. But it is definitely a nice thing to have!
Use the fridge
Place your flowers in your fridge each night! Surprising, right?!
Flowers LOVE cooler temperatures when cut. Around 40 degrees farenheit is perfect! You don’t want anything much warmer or colder than that. This was something that surprised me when I first started in floristry. As a florist I always keep my blooms in a cooler place or a fridge when possible.
Just like food, keeping your flowers in a cool place slows the production of bacteria. Flowers are living organic material and behave in a similar way to food when they get old.
Avoid certain environments
Cut flowers should not be placed in direct sunlight or anywhere that generates heat. Extreme temperatures can kill the blooms. Also avoid anywhere that has a draft or cold air directly blowing on the flowers. This can cause them to get dehydrated quickly and wilt.
Another surprising fact is that you should not place them near fruit. Fruit gives off ethylene gas which can cause your flowers to wilt quicker.
Well, there you have it :) These are all the tricks I use to ensure my flowers last as long as possible for weddings and events and hope they can help you with your flowers as well! <3 Always feel free to reach out with any questions you have! Much love to you all!
Xoxo, Kaity