Planning to decorate your holiday table this year with a grocery store bouquet? Arranging the flowers yourself is the most affordable way for you and your guests to enjoy fresh florals but knowing how to care for them is what helps them last. So we reached out to a couple flowers experts from around the globe to share some tips on caring for fresh cut flowers! May your DIY holiday arrangements be merry, bright and last through the New Year!
TOP TIPS to help prolong the life of your flowers:
- Keep your flowers in a cool place. Ideal temperature is between 60-72 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 22 degrees Celsius)
- Avoid direct sunlight as this dehydrates your flowers prematurely
- Keep flowers away from heating or cooling vents
- Keep flowers away from ceiling fans or air conditioning units
- Keep flowers away from ripening fruit and vegetables as they give off ethylene gas, which shortens the vase life of the flowers
- Do not place flowers in metal vases or containers
- Do not place flowers on televisions or radiators (appliances give off heat, causing flowers to dehydrate)
- Use flower food/preservative to prolong flower life
- Use a clean vase – wash the vase to ensure it is clean, and does not have soapy residue remaining
- Clean water regularly – every two days
- Add 1 drop of bleach (kills bacteria) to water
- Remove any dead blossoms, leaves or foliage from the arrangement
- Cut stems on an angle with a sharp knife to increase the surface area, and therefore allow a larger amount of water to be taken up the stem.
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al thanks to Flowers for Everyone, a Brisbane flower shop that delivers, for sharing these tips and FiftyFlowers.com, a farm direct, online source for wholesale flowers for the pretty, DIY Arrangments!!! Photo Credit: John Unrue Photography
