7 Tips on Caring for Flowers: A Guide to Making Your Flowers Last Longer

When we get flowers, we want them to last for as long as we can.

Whether received as a gift or simply something that caught your eye as a way of bringing a touch of colour to your home, a bouquet of flowers always looks amazing.

But they don't last forever.

Luckily, you can make your flowers last for as long as possible with some simple tips and tricks.

Our team at flowersbypost.com are passionate about all of the bouquets and collections we create, and we love it when our customers get long-lasting pleasure from our products.

With that in mind, here's a guide on how to look after your flowers and keep them looking fresh for longer.

Let's take a look.

Keep Them Watered

The first thing you must do when receiving your flowers is put them into water.

There are a few things that are important here.

Firstly, the water must be clean. If there is dirt or bacteria in the water then it may cause harm to the flower as it gets absorbed.

Secondly, make sure there are no leaves below the water line as this can lead to the stems getting clogged. The only thing that should be submerged is the stem as this will give it the best chance of taking in as much water as possible.

Try and keep the water from getting too hot, around room temperature is best, and change it a couple of times every week to keep it feeling fresh.

Use Flower Food

Flower food is a bit of a super material when it comes to keeping your flowers looking and feeling healthy.

So, what is it?

Well, there are three ingredients that you may find rather surprising:

Sugar - This is perfect for adding a spring to a flower's step. A flower loves sugar and when it's mixed with the water it provides the perfect cocktail to give it a real boost.

Citric Acid - The water that a flower sits in needs to be a low PH, and that's why citric acid is so handy. Something like lemon juice, which is very acidic, keeps the PH down and provides the perfect environment for a flower to blossom.

Bleach - This is perfect for killing off any unwanted bacteria that may appear as the flower is growing, such as microflora.

Packs of this mixture can be bought in most supermarkets and garden centres so be sure to add this into the water as your flower arrives and give them the perfect opportunity to stay healthy for a long time.

When the Time Comes, Give Your Stem a Trim

Flowers, like humans, have a vascular system which transports water throughout. This can get blocked by air, so it's always a good idea to snip a little from the bottom and ensure that the water has a clear passage to get where it needs to be.

The best time to do this is as your flowers are been placed in water, and then every three days after that.

What's important is the way you cut it.

The cut needs to be sharp and precise. If you do it wrong and squash or bend the stem this could lead to it being damaged and mean that water can't be sucked up.

Try and cut at a rate of around a centimetre each time and do it at an angle of around 45 degrees so that you are maximising the area in which water can be absorbed.

Choose the Right Vase

The first thing to make sure is that your vase is clean.

We touched on the importance of clean water earlier and keeping a clean vase is just as important.

Give it a wipe and a rinse before putting your water inside to make sure it's clean enough to not cause any harm.

But what kind of vase should you use?

Well, when it comes to preparing your vase, size does matter.

Too small and your flowers may be too heavy and bend. Too big and your bouquet may lose shape.

It's also vital you choose an opening of the right size as again, something too big may lead to an untidy flower collection. If it's too tight you may end up suffocating your flowers and damaging the stems.

And finally, choose a vase that makes the most out of your flowers. Our scented love bouquet looks stunning in an hourglass vase for example as they can really spread out and showcase their full aesthetic, whereas our taller bouquets, such as these purple orchids, look great standing tall in a column vase.

The important thing is to choose what's right for your plant, and what's right for you to make your bouquet look as good as it feels.

Keep Them in a Cool Spot

Cut flowers are different to your average house plant.

Whereas house plants need sunlight and warmth to stay healthy, flowers placed in a vase are very different.

Instead of a warm place directly in the sunshine, cut flowers thrive in cooler temperatures.

So instead of keeping them right in a window, try and place them somewhere a bit more comfortable, such as on a fireplace or coffee table where it won't be under too much heat pressure.

And of course, the other important thing about your flower placement is that you place it somewhere it has the most effect.

If you place your flowers in a corner somewhere then they're not only being wasted, but you also may not notice if things start to go amiss, such as dead leaves or insects taking over.

By keeping your flowers somewhere you regularly see them, you will naturally perform visual checks every time you pass them and make sure your flowers are looking healthy.

Don't be Afraid to Experiment

There are many weird and wacky ways people tend to their flowers to keep them looking fresh and healthy.

Why not add more bleach (only a very small amount, about a quarter of a teaspoon) to your water every day to keep it clean and keep your plants bacteria-free?

One that is often proven to have a good effect on flowers is soda. A small bit adds plenty more sugar to the flowers and can lead to a long-lasting and fresh bloom.

Some people even place their flowers in a fridge overnight, and this was voted in one study as the most effective method of keeping your flowers fresh.

Why?

Well, the coldness can help to prolong life and keep your plants in full bloom for much longer.

Now, we haven't tried every one of these, and there are plenty more methods people use to keep their flowers healthy.

If you're suffering from rapidly deteriorating plants, maybe your next step could be trying something out of the ordinary.

Remove Leaves When Needed

It may seem counter-productive to take some of the bright and beautiful leaves away from your bouquet, but it could have a positive effect.

Firstly, it's important to remove the leaves below the water line, as touched upon in the section above.

But it is also vital that you can keep an eye out for wilted leaves, as these can carry ethylene which left untouched can cause other leaves to wilt.

It also makes for a great visual effect and removing some outer leaves on flowers such as roses may actually give the fresher leaves inside it more space to blossom into.

By keeping your plants as lightweight and free to breathe as possible, you're sure to prolong their life and keep them looking as stunning as ever.

Flowersbypost.com

Here at flowersbypost.com, we're passionate about our products.

That's why we take the utmost care to make sure every package we send out contains flowers that are fresh and full of life.

With these tips, these flowers will stay looking just as good for a long time and you will always be able to make the most of them.

If you want to know more about how to care for your flowers or would like to see what beautiful bouquets we have on offer, get in touch today