Flower Tips and Care

Tips to keeping cut flowers fresh

Once cut from the plant, flowers still require the nutrients that were provided on the plant, namely food and water. You can ensure an optimum vase life for your cut flowers by following these general guidelines.
Most importantly, cut flowers need to draw good quality water up the stem to the flower head. To ensure water uptake through the stem, follow these steps:

Flower Care Instructions

Usually our flowers arrive arranged and ready to go in a vase. But if you receive a wrap, or use your own vase, keep these thoughts in mind.

Use a clean vase. After use, wash the vase or the residue in the vase will contaminate the water the next time you use it. Use good quality cool to lukewarm tap water to fill your vase. Add 'flower food' to your vase water or make your own with the recipe below. Commercial flower food contains nutrients to provide your flowers nourishment and a bactericide to minimize buildup in the water.

Before you place your flowers in the vase, cut about an inch off of each stem, and any additional length necessary to accommodate the height of your vase. Clean cuts at a 45° angle work best for the flowers to be able to take up water, so use a sharp knife. After cutting, place the flower into the water as soon as possible.

A few things to keep in mind about displaying your flowers. Flowers are fickle. They don't like extreme hot or cold, drafts, wind, or really bright light. So keep them away from windows, and anything that puts off heat (electronics, heater vents, etc.) Table tops are generally a good place to display them.

If you really want your flowers to last, the re-cut the stems about every other day. A fresh cut means fresh water makes it into the stems. Also keep the water level up and keep feeding the flowers. If the water is cloudy, replace all the water. Any leaves or petals that are below the water line will reduce the vase life as well, so remove those if necessary.

Flower Food

1 quart warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon liquid bleach (optional)
Dissolve sugar into solution and use as described above.

Other consideration:
- Flower blooms may open more rapidly in warm (not hot) water (but this generally shortens vase life).
- Lily pollen can stain, so be sure to trim the pollen stem after the flower has opened.
- If you received roses in a wrap, remove the outside protective petal.
- If your flowers appear to be fatigued upon arrival, don't worry - they're just thirsty!
- Follow the above instructions and the flowers will open before your eyes.

Enjoy your flowers!