Flowers need water and food just as we do, I have put together some tips for buying the best flowers and helping them stay fresh for as long as possible, hope you find useful.
Buying Tips
- Stems, Leaves & Petals should be firm as well as having some buds not yet open - check this by gently touching to avoid bruising the Flowers
- Wilted and yellow foliage is a sign that they may have been left out of water and past their best so avoid
- Check the base of the stems, if black or discoloured this is an indication that they haven’t been cut for some time. This will have stopped the bloom being able to drink the essential water it needs as the capillaries will be blocked, always fascinates me at New Covent Garden market, they are constantly cutting their flower stems to look their best
- Peak into the flower buckets to check if being stored in plenty of clean water - daffodils aren’t usually in water to keep in bud
- Check for broken heads or brown petals
Condition as soon as you get Home
- Remove the cellophane and any bindings to let the air to the blooms
- Prepare vesselsyou are using to display your flowers or buckets if not arranging straight away - clean using bleach to make sure no bacteria and fill with lukewarm water
- Using sharp snips to avoid crushing the stems, cut at an angle to expose the maximum surface space to absorb water
- Flowers drink a third of its water in the first 12 hours, even flowers from supermarkets are still recovering from their long journey and have had little or no water, I always condition and store in deep water for at least 1 day before I arrange them - really does prolong their vase life
- Remove foliage from the lower part of the stem so no leaves submerged in water as helps to keep the water from going smelly with bacteria
- Add the flower food provided with your flowers or you can use 1/4 teaspoon of bleach to 1 litre of water or 3 drops of bleach and 1 teaspoon of sugar, this will prolong the life of the flowers and encourage buds to open
- Roses - remove the guard petals and thorns
- Check your flowers every other day to re cut the stems, change the water and food and remove any foliage or blooms not looking their best
- Foliage - if you are cutting from your garden pick a day ahead of arranging, almost submerge in a bucket of water
- Misting your flowers will help freshness as flowers drink from their petals also
- Display your flowers in a cool place and avoid drafts
- Avoid placing flowers near fruit & vegetables
Reviving Floppy Blooms
- Hydrangea’s love water - hence the name, if your head looks floppy and limp you can dunk the head in a bucket of water for 20-30 minutes and it will be revived as good as new
- Floppy heads - Roses, tulips, gerberas & Hydrangea’s vulnerable to this, I would help hydrangeas as described above, for the others, using several sheets of strong paper, newspapers good, lay the blooms on the paper & wrap tightly with string ensuring the heads are upright. Cut the stems at an angle and plunge into deep water for several hours, when unwrapped you will be amazed at your revived blooms.
- Tulips - can droop their stems and heads, if you want them to look their best for an event or party adopt the method above for storing until needed
As we slip into Autumn with more uncertainty surrounding this pandemic, it is important to remember the simple things that give us Joy, treat yourself or a loved one to a bunch of flowers, choose warm autumn colours, some berries and bronzed leaves.
Take care and Be Safe
Jo 🙂
