General Flower Care Tips
Fresh flowers are one of the most exquisite of life’s pleasures. They’re also here one day, and gone the next. Their beauty is sweet but it’s also all too short. So let’s look at how to prolong their life and your enjoyment.
Florists and flower growers do their best to make sure their flowers get to you in tip top condition. Perth online florist, Perth Florist Direct has these simple flower care tips to help you keep them that way.
Once you’ve made your purchase – it’s all about speed. That means no coffee stops or doing a quick school run after you’ve been to the florist – time in the car is simply not good for flowers. Heat and flowers aren’t a good mix, so when the temperature is climbing, you need to get them home FAST!. For the journey home, try and place the flowers out of the sun and turn the car’s airconditioning system to to the coldest setting.
As soon as you can, place the flowers into a deep bucket of cool water. A top tip is to spray a fine mist of water onto the petals and leaves to freshen them up.
Select a your container and give it an extra rinse to make sure it’s clean. Don’t use detergent as it can harm the flowers, as will any residue from previous flowers in the container. If you have a sachet of flower preservative, add it to the water in the vase. These should be included with every bouquet from a reputable florist. These flower foods contain the right balance of ingredients to nourish the flowers, keep bacteria at bay, prolong the life of the arrangement and stimulate the buds to open – but it’s important to follow the instructions to the letter as incorrect preparation can do more harm than good.
Once the vase is ready, snip about a centimetre off each stem. Always use sharp scissors or shears. The general rule is to cut soft stems straight along and woody stems such as those of roses or hydrangeas, at an angle. Strip off any leaves that will be below the waterline, otherwise they’ll rot and also consume all the valuable nutrients.
To ensure your carefully arranged bouquet doesn’t lose its shape, you can always tie it with some florist’s twine. This helps with handling the arrangement when you lift it to cut the stems or refresh the water. Some bouquets already have binding in place when they’re delivered, and it’s probably wise to keep this intact.
The water in the container should be topped up regularly, particularly if the weather is very hot or humid, and it should be replaced with fresh water completely once every three days or so, says Perth florist. They recommend that any leaves, petals etc be removed from the water as these can cause algal growth which isn’t good for the flowers. Any dead leaves or spent flowers should also be removed to prolong the life of the arrangement. Cutting another centimetre off the stems after a few days will also make the bouquet last longer.
If your arrangement is done in water-retaining florists’ foam, it will also need to be topped up often. Trickle water into the middle of the arrangement or into a special nick in the foam, to ensure full absorption.
And finally – you must see them to enjoy them, but try and put the arrangement in a coolish position. Flowers thrive best in temperatures of around 18 to 20 degrees Celsius and should be kept away from harsh, direct sunlight. They should also be kept away from electrical appliances such as televisions, microwaves or heaters which give off heat. And you wouldn’t think so – but placing your flowers near fresh fruit is a no-no! . Some fruits give off a gas as they ripen which can speed up the rate of deterioration of flowers.
And the most important tip of all, is to revel in the beauty of your fresh flowers. They don’t last forever, but that only makes their beauty even more intense and special. Fresh blooms are the best of Mother Nature’s bounty, say flower delivery experts, Perth Florist Direct.
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