How to care for your fresh-cut flowers
You have brought your flowers home. They look gorgeous and your space feels so much more like home. The only problem is now you want them to last. Since we are professionals and not a grocery store chain, we take pride in our flowers and how much longer they last. This is because we take good care of our stems. These are some tips that we florists live by to keep our flowers looking their best for the longest amount of time.
Keep flowers cool. We are able to keep your flowers fresh longer when we keep them in our floral coolers so it is best to keep your flowers in a space without direct sunlight. The warmth from the sun makes the flowers open up faster. They look beautiful this way but that means they will also die much more quickly. Our personal favorite spots are on the nightstand or the kitchen island. Flowers also do surprisingly well in bathrooms.
Add water to your flowers frequently. The flowers soak up the water within a day or two and with the art of arranging some stems will be shorter than others in the vase. Make sure that if floral foam is the base of the arrangement you are adding enough water. That foam is designed to hold a lot of water, but it can take a little longer for it to get soaked up. Make sure that you let the water run over the foam for longer than you think.
Cut the stems. Cutting the stems is tedious, but it will make your flowers happy. They’ll be able to continue to soak up more water. Be sure to cut the stems at an angle as well.
Wash your vase. Before putting flowers in a vase, make sure that you have washed it with soap and water. Bacteria can get trapped in there so it’s best to make sure it’s clean. Getting a water bottle brush is the best option for cleaning vases because they can get down to the bottom where your hand can’t reach. We always wash our vases before putting your flowers in them. Make sure to rinse all the soap out, though.
Remove wilting flowers from the arrangement. Some flowers are known to last longer than others. Roses don’t last nearly as long as carnations so be sure to feel how stiff or squishy the flower feels. You want it to be stiff. If flowers come in contact with wilting flowers it can cause them to also wilt faster as well. This will make your arrangement appear fresh longer, too.
Now you’re ready to care for your beautiful flowers!