We all want our flowers to last as long as possible! I'd like to share a few tips on keeping flowers fresh so you can enjoy the beauty of each flower throughout its lifecycle.
Seeing the Stages of a Flower
When we send a designed floral arrangement or wrap to you, we know that the flower is at the beginning of its cut life. Some flowers continue to open while displayed, like hyacinths, lilies, and peonies. Others dry easily while maintaining their shape and color; like thistle, craspedia, and pine. Flowers aren't just alive and then boom--dead! We design so that you can enjoy the movement, growth, blossoming, and color change of each flower.
A Fresh Cut
A fresh cut does wonders on the flower’s vase life. After just one day the flower stems begin to close up and stop taking in their water source at the same rate. Give each stem a45-degree cut every day. This new cut tells the flower to drink more water, and the diagonal cut gives the flower the most surface area to drink from.
Clear that Bacteria
One of the fastest ways to shorten the lifespan of your flowers is by building up bacteria in the water. When you take your flowers out to recut them, top them off with new water. After 3-4 days, replace the water when it gets cloudy. Fill the vase with lukewarm water, not ice cold, which is taken up better by the stems.
Pick and Prune (aka Deadheading)
It’s just a given that some flowers might last longer than others or that the leaves might give out before the petals do. It's OK to pick through your arrangement-- it's actually encouraged! Deadheading is the horticultural practice of removing spent flowers from plants. If you see that some of the leaves are browning, petals are falling out into the water, or pollen is falling from the stamen, take a scissor andgently prune the browning parts out. Pulling a few flowers from the arrangement to extend the life of others is also sometimes necessary.
Keep in a Cool Space
We know all of your spaces are cool, especially when they're full of flowers.😎 Keeping the arrangement out of the sun in a cool place will keep the flowers from wilting as quickly. Here's a really cool tip: Once you begin to pick through your arrangements, take a chance to design with your remaining flowers. My favorite small vases to use in my house are a small antique crystal pitcher and a miniature ceramic mug.
