A lot of people will be stopping to smell the roses on
Valentine’s Day. According to CNN, 224 million roses were grown for Valentine’s
Day in 2013, with people spending $1.9 billion on flowers for this holiday. The
most popular type of flower? Red roses, purchased
by 51 percent of people buying flowers for Valentine’s Day. With so many people
receiving bouquets, we wanted to provide you with flower care tips, and asked
the experts at one company, Giftblooms, for some help. Head floral designer at Giftblooms,
gave us three key ways to care for flowers so they will last as long as
possible.
Check out our Ultimate Flower Gift Guide with tips and
recommendations on what kind of flowers to send for any occasion. For more
expert gift ideas, visit Giftblooms.com with
the best selection of flowers, plants and more.
After you receive your bouquet, you can help your fresh
flowers last longer by following these simple cut flower care guidelines. Florist
always uses the freshest flowers available to fill your bouquet. Knowing how to
make your flowers last longer will add to your enjoyment of them, and will help
keep them vibrant and long lasting.
A floral life extender packet is typically included with your floral delivery;
it is basically sugar that helps keep the bacteria count in the water low. An
aspirin, (not ibuprofen), works just a well. Aspirin seems to lengthen the life
of the flowers. Just be sure to snip a bit off the ends of the flowers each
day.
Check your flowers daily
Keep the vase, container or liner
filled with fresh water. Even if the container has floral foam, you should keep
the water level high to promote long lasting flowers. The container’s water has
a fresh flower food added to it. If you completely change the water, you should
also thoroughly clean the container. Add fresh water mixed with a commercial
fresh flower food. These flower foods may be supplied by the florist who
delivered your order and they contain the correct ingredients to properly
nourish the flowers, keep bacteria at bay (which can block the stems and
prevent them from absorbing water), encourage buds to open, and lengthen the
life of the bouquet. It’s one of the best—and easiest—ways to extend the life
of your flowers, but be sure to follow the directions on the package correctly.
Improperly mixed flower food can actually do more harm than good.
Re-cut their stems
Every few days, remove the flowers
from the design and re-cut the stems. Remove 3/4" to one inch from the
bottom of the stem and be sure to cut the stem at an angle to allow the flower
the best chance to take up water. Use a sharp knife or sharp floral cutter or
scissor. Avoid smashing or piercing the stems, as this can destroy the water
vessels in the stem and prevent water absorption. Remove any spent or damaged
blooms or foliage that falls below the waterline in the vase.
To avoid disturbing the stem placements in a
vase arrangement, tie the stems with twine just above the vase’s edge before
taking them out of their vase. Hold the tied arrangement at the twine-bound
point to re-cut the stems. Then place them back into the clean vase with the
fresh water and a flower food.
Change Their Water, And Add Additional Fresh Flower Food
Be sure to clean the vase before
refilling it with room-temperature water mixed with the proper amount of fresh
flower food. Be sure no debris is floating in the water (such as leaves and
stem parts) as this could promote the growth of bacteria which can shorten a
flower's life.
Display Flowers In A Cool Spot
Most flowers prefer temperatures
between 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 22 degrees Celsius) and are best
displayed away from direct sunlight, heating or cooling vents, directly under
ceiling fans, or on top of televisions or radiators, which give off heat and
can cause flowers to dehydrate. Avoid placing fresh flowers near ripening
fruit, which releases tiny amounts of ethylene gas that can age them
prematurely.
Use “Flower Food” For Most Flowers
While changing the water every other day or so is often just
as effective for making flowers last longer, adding those flower food packets
that come with packaged flowers are beneficial as well. This is especially true
if you’re forgetful/lazy and won’t be changing your flowers’ water regularly.
In addition to “feeding” the bouquet, these food packets contain a bactericide
that keeps the water fresh for a day or two longer. You can make your own
flower food by adding about 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and
a 1 teaspoon of bleach to your vase before adding about a quart of warm tap
water. It is worth noting that there are a few flowers that actually do NOT
like the flower food in the vase. Some of these are: zinnias, sunflowers and glades.
Use Sharp Scissors When Cutting
If you use dull old scissors or snips to trim your flowers,
you are often smashing, and thus damaging, the tissue/cells at the end of the
stem. Damaged cells cannot absorb water as effectively as healthy cells. Sharp
scissors, ensure a clean cut that leaves cells unharmed (except the poor little
that inevitably get sliced).
So, these are the ideas that we can use for saving our
flowers which gift by someone on our special occasion. You can save your
flowers for a long time.
