Sunday, November 18, 2012

How to Keep Your Flowers Longer

You receive a beautiful floral arrangement and you want to keep it looking fresh and beautiful longer; how would you do that?

The first thing to remember is that flowers must have an immediate and continuing supply of water, once they are cut, to replace the life giving foods and fluids of the plant on which they grew. This water must be fresh, but not cold.

Florists "condition" the flowers they get from the wholesalers. they first cut the stems at an angle with sharp knives or shears then immediately place the flowers in warm water with conditioning solution for an hour or two before using the flowers in an arrangement. The buckets of conditioned flowers are then moved into their display coolers.

Cleanliness can reduce wilt

Florists try to use immaculately clean containers and pails and vases at every step. They scrub their containers with hot soapy water to eliminate the decay of foliage that hasten wilt. After the soaping, containers are thoroughly rinsed. Traces of soap usually damage the the flowers as much as the bacteria would.

Avoid hot or drafty locations

The same rule applies to prolonging the life of flowers from your florist. If possible, put your bouquet where the temperature will be as even as possible - out of drafts, away from the heater vents. Always place your bouquet where you will enjoy it most. Add water once you receive your bouquet. as leakage could occur during the trip from the florist to your home. You need not change water daily, but add as needed to make up for evaporation loss. Keep your bouquet fresh by removing and replacing the faded flowers and leaves. When a good number of flowers have wilted but others are still fresh, do another arrangement on a smaller scale and extend your enjoyment.