1. Cut stems
When you get home with your flowers, cut the stems about an inch from the bottom before immediately putting them in water. Even a few minutes out of a vase will allow a cap to form on the stem, preventing it from taking up as much water as it can. Cutting the stem reveals fresh, open cells that are ready to soak up moisture and keep the flower from decaying.
2. Treating water
Treat the water in your vase with a flower food powder, which gives the stems glucose to use as food, acid to keep the pH of the water ideal, and bleach to prevent the growth of bacteria that might harm your flowers. If you don't have flower food, you can make your own with this recipe. Putting a penny in your vase will also keep fungus or bacteria away, due to the copper (a natural fungicide).
3. Refrigerate your flowers
There's a reason florist shops keep flowers in a large refrigerator: it slows the decay of the cells (read our previous post about the importance of keeping flowers cold) Place your arrangement or bouquet in the fridge overnight to keep it perky during the day. Never use the crisper drawer though, the temperature in there is too cold for flowers and will kill them.
4. Location, location, location
Never put your arrangement or bouquet in direct sun or near drafts. Keep them somewhere cool with indirect sunlight. Good locations are away from vents, windows, and bright lights.
5. Misting
Many cut flowers will appreciate being misted with cool water. Hydrangeas, (pictured above) especially enjoy having their heads dunked completely underwater for a few hours to perk up if they start drooping.
So do you have any tips for keeping arrangements and bouquets fresh for days? Let us know your tricks in a comment below.
THIS WEEKS CODE WORD IS VASE! Mention it on your next visit for BOGO on loose roses! Thanks for reading the blog!
-Your flower loving friends at Hummingbird Floral
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