So you just got flowers… now what?
So you just got a delivery of beautiful fresh flowers, but what now? They look stunning, but how do you keep them looking that way for as long as possible? Here are a few simple tricks that can increase the longevity of your flowers.
- Remove all packaging 🚮
Usually when receiving flowers they come one of two ways: in a bouquet or in a vase. If your flowers arrived in a vase, you can skip to step 4.
Bouquet example (money butterfly bouquet)
-If it has a water bubble, you should drain the water out by cutting the water bag with a pair of scissors while standing over a sink or outside.
Here is a video demonstrating this:
-If you have any thing like a book or chocolate in your bouquet, it is recommended to remove them. You can keep the money flowers, butterflies, or any add ons if you wish, just be careful.
2. Fill a clean vase with water 💧
-Find a vase that will fit your flowers.
-Make sure it is clean, using diluted bleach. It is okay if you can’t get all the bleach out, it will keep the bacteria from building up in the water.
-Fill up your clean vase with water and add flower food, if desired. Our fresh flower arrangements come with a sachet of flower food, but it is up to you if you would like to use this. I would recommend using half now and half later.
3. Cut your flowers ✂️
-Remove any leaves that would be touching the water, as this can cause bacteria buildup that would kill the flowers faster.
-Using shears of kitchen scissors, cut all the stems at an angle. I like to first measure my stems against the vase I am using, so that I have a gauge of how much I am cutting off. Once it is cut you cannot put it back!
—Cut off a couple centimeters to an inch, at an angle to ensure the best water intake.
- Put your flowers into water immediately after cutting to avoid the stems drying out. If them stems dry out cut them again.
4. Find a good spot for your flowers 💐
-You want to have your flowers displayed somewhere you’ll see them often, so that you can make the most out of their fleeting beauty.
-Try not to place them in a place that gets direct sunlight, as this causes the flowers to age faster. Instead find a cool spot that is away from drafts and fruits.
-Never, ever put your flowers in your fridge. It is far too cold and the gas emitted by the food in your fridge will cause the flowers to age rapidly.
-If you have pets or small kids, ensure they are somewhere out of reach. (Some kinds of flowers are highly toxic to pets, such as Lilies)
5. Maintain ✨
-Aim to change the vase water every 2 to 3 days. Cut the stems again, at an angle, when you change the water. You can use the other half of the flower food at this point, if you wish.
-If you see any dead flowers pop up, remove them immediately. This helps to avoid the stems from rotting and causing bacteria and spreading to the healthy flowers. If they are part of a larger stem of flowers, remove the heads that are dead so that the plant can focus on nourishing the other flower heads.
Enjoy your flowers! I hope this was insightful and helps your blooms to blossom for even a little longer.
xoxo,
Deelight