How to make your flowers last
Valentine’s Day might be behind us, but hopefully there will still be plenty of opportunities for your loved ones to shower you with bunches of cut flowers this spring. The longer your flowers look fresh and vibrant, the better. Here are some helpful tips that will give your prized blooms an added lease of life:
Before you arrange your flowers in the vase, gently pull off any wilted petals or leaves and remove any greenery on the stems that will end up being under the water level. As well as helping your flowers last longer, this will keep the water cleaner.
Many of you will be aware that it helps to trim the stems of your flowers a little every day to help them absorb water and nutrients. What you might not know is that using a paring knife, rather than scissors, will stop you squishing the stem and restricting the flower’s intake. The best way to cut the stems is under running water or in a bowl of water, at a 45 degree angle. This will help prevent extra air from going into the stems.
Flowers are a thirsty lot! Keep the level in the vase full to make sure your flowers never get the chance to dry out. Flowers can also be very vulnerable to the bacteria that build up in the vase. For this reason, we would recommend changing the water every couple of days. This is easily done by carefully tipping the vase over a sink to let the water drain without disturbing your arrangement. Then all you have to do is re-fill the vase by gently pouring fresh water in.
It may be a bit of an old wives tale, but it really does help to pop a 2p coin into the bottom of the vase. The copper is believed to act like an acidifier, which will prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
Now here’s one you may well not have heard before: pour a quarter of a cup of a sweet fizzy drink into the water with the flowers in the vase. The sugar in the drink will have an invigorating effect for your flowers. If your vase is clear glass than we’d recommend using something like 7-Up or Sprite, which isn’t going to colour the water.
Follow these tips and you can be sure your flowers will stay beautiful for longer. Now all you have to do is wait for them to arrive!
