How to keep your flowers looking fresher for longer
Updated: Apr 20, 2022
Spring and summer are the seasons for the best flowers, the most spectacular blooms, for weddings and proms and outdoor events. But with our climate warming up, those seasons are getting a bit HOT! We all love to place a vase of flowers on a table or window sill in a nice sunny place, but sadly that could be a disaster for your newly delivered subscription flowers or specially presented gift bouquet! Flowers generally don’t like direct sunlight, and like all of us, they need to drink.
As soon as you receive your flowers....
Take it out of its wrapping (lovely though that is) and recut the stems at an angle of 45 degrees using sharp scissors – don’t crush the stems!
Should I use flower food with my gift bouquet?
Your florist has probably supplied flower food with your flowers – use that with fresh water as instructed on the flower food packet
Slightly warmer water rather than ice cold can help to speed up the water uptake by the flower, and will also help blooms to open faster. A great idea for roses.
Where's the best place to display flowers?
It might be tempting to put your lovely flowers in a vase on the windowsill, but if it's a nice sunny window your flowers won't stay good for very long! In fact the best thing is to keep your flowers out of the direct sunlight, in fact choose a nice cool spot in a draught free area.
My flowers aren't lasting very long - what could be the problem?
Ripening fruit emits a gas called ethylene which could prematurely age your flowers - so keep your flowers well away from your bananas!
Bacteria in dirty water will also prematurely kill off your flowers - always ensure there are no leaves beneath the water, and change the water to nice fresh water every couple of days.
If your flowers are out of water for more than a minute or so, re-cut the stems about 2cm up, at an angle. Don't crush the stems! This will only destroy the internal structure of the stem, making it harder for the flower to take up water.
Keep your flowers looking lovely
Remove any fading blooms or leaves right away, so that you only ever have beautiful fresh flowers and foliage remaining.