General Care For Fresh Cut Flowers And Arrangements

Wednesday, December 29 | Cut Flowers

Cut Flower Care

Follow these simple suggestions to get the most out of your flower purchase!

Hydration is the key when it comes to flower longevity and bacteria is the enemy.  As your flowers age, bacteria accumulates at the cut end of the stem and blocks the uptake of water into the flower.  As the flow of water slows, the flower starts to dry and wilt and die.  Here's what you can do to help:

Cool your flowers:  Cooler temperatures slow the growth of bacteria and the related breakdown of plant tissues.

Re-cut stems regularly:  Re-cut your stems (take about 1/2 ince off) right before you put them in water - this ensures that there aren't any air bubbles in the stem tissure that could block water uptake.  Re-cutting stems also exposes clean tissue - uncluttered by bacteria.

Change vase water often:  Flowers don't want to drink bacteria-water.  Lift your stems out of the vase, change the water (add flower food to the new water if available) and recut your flower stems just before putting them back into water.  Do this every other day and you can double the life of your flowers.

Flowers in foam:  Some arrangements are assembled in floral foam where recutting stems isn't feasable.  Make sure your stems are seated firmly in the foam (heavier flowers like hydrangeas sometimes wiggle loose) and simply add water daily.