Many people are often frustrated because their bouquet doesn’t last long. They may forget that fresh cut flowers are still living and can be encouraged to last much longer under the right conditions. The following care instructions will help make your flowers last longer.
CHANGE TO FRESH WATER DAILY
Changing water is fundamental. Everyday would be the best. At leeeeaaassst once very 3 days. We often have someone ask us why their flowers are not lasting as long as in our shop. When we ask to show us a picture, all we noticed was flower stems sitting in very polluted water. You will be surprised how much longer your arrangement will last Simply by giving flowers fresh water to drink all the time. Most of flowers will last longer by drinking warm (or lukewarm) water, but a few exceptions are: peonies, tulips, hyacinths, and other spring bulb flowers. These flowers are very sensitive to temperature, and will blast-open in warm water.
TRIM STEMS IF YOU WANNA TRY
Our flowers are mostly packed in water source when delivered to your home. There is no need to cut stems upon arrival. If you want to make extra effort & also are confident that you won’t tear apart the arrangement, you can also try to trim the stems for half inch or so every 2-3 days. This will make sure a smooth water uptake from the stems. One thing to mention is, making sure your tools are not too dull, which will do more squishing, other than cutting smoothly. Stem cells that do water update will be damaged in this case, and hydration process can be slowed.
NO HEAT NO SUN
Even though many plants need sunlight to bloom, cut flowers are actually the opposite. Make sure your arrangement stays away from direct sunlight, also away from strong heat, wind, draft, airflow if possible…. It may sound a bit desperate, and they won’t wilt in a blink if that can’t be accommodated. But we are tying to offer the best we can, right? 🙂 Sun and heat will encourage them to “mature” and thus quicken their demise. Instead, keep your cut flowers in a relatively cool dark spot if you would like them to last as long as possible.
POTENTIAL KILLER: BANANA AND APPLE
Ripening fruit gives off an odorless invisible gas called ethylene, which is the gaseous hormone in the plant that induces flower to drop its petals and become a fruit. This gas is harmless to humans, but rather deadly to flowers. If you display your fresh flowers next to ripening fruit, especially banana and apple, they probably will think they better drop their petals and start to product fruit and seeds. This is also why I suggest my customer to lock-tie the arrangement in plastic package entirely if they are going to hide the arrangement in their fridge cooler.
CLEAN VASE/CONTAINER
A used vase has a lot bacteria build-up inside. Simply wash it before use, your fresh flowers would really appreciate you by lasting longer.
YOU CAN FEED THEM
All flowers are treated prior to departure from our shop. You can also 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. MAKE SURE to use flower food ONLY in clean water. If water is not changed, please don’t add anything. A few types of flowers may not like flowers food, such as zinnias, sunflowers and gladiolus.
FOAM ARRANGEMENT
If you receive an arrangement made in floral foam, the best you can do is, to make sure to add some water to the foam on daily basis, and display away from direct sunlight if possible (for sure we don’t want you to hide your Christmas centerpiece in the bathroom.). Flowers arranged in floral foam are relatively shorter lasting compared to that arranged in vase with water. You can put that into consideration when you place an order with us.
If you have any questions about flower care instructions, or tips you’d like to share with us, welcome to email us at: [email protected]
Itinerante Flowers
Updated in 2021