I do not want to tell you the truth about it, I killed more bouquets before I could figure out what exactly I was doing wrong. It did not make me notice anything until I started listening more closely. Whether you are purchasing a new arrangement at an Oshawa flower shop delivery or you place an order online flowers in whitby as a birthday or anniversary, the last thing you would wish is to see those flowers withering two days later. In the majority of cases, it is not misfortune. It is but a few little, little things that you can do to make the life of your flowers shorter.
Trimming of the Stems Or, Not Trimming of the Stems
Most people do not even bother with this: they cut the stems when the flowers have not even seen water. When a bouquet comes to your hands the cut ends are already beginning to close.
Take a sharp knife or scissors and cut an inch or two off the stems at an angle 45 degrees or so. The diagonal cut is important as it adds on more surface area and prevents the stem resting flat on the bottom of the vase where it cannot effectively draw up water. Do this not ten minutes before you put the stems in the vase. It is a matter of seconds when that stem is exposed to air.
This is among such mistakes in caring for flowers that do not cost anything to correct but make a very big difference.
The Water Temperature Trap
Room temperature water. That’s usually the answer. Never too cold, never too hot, but somewhere in the middle. Cold water may actually shock some of the flowers and warm water hastens the drying process more than most would anticipate.
The exception to this is tulips and hyacinths. In fact, they like cooler water and this would be good to know in case you are a frequent buyer of them. What is more important than temperature is the duration of time that people leave the same water in the vase. Two days, maximum. Then the bacteria accumulates in the water and basically chokes the stems up the water. Wipe out the jar, not just fill it to the brim.
Where You Put Them Matters More Than You Think
The counter in the kitchen is close to the stove. The afternoon sun side of the windowsill. Dining table that is beside the fruit bowl. These are truly among the poorest spots in your house to find fresh flowers, and there are places where most of the bouquets are kept.
Heat is a flower’s enemy. Direct sunlight dries the petals more rapidly than any other thing. And that fruit bowl – bananas and apples in this case – produces ethylene gas when the fruit is getting ripe and this gas accelerates the aging of flowers. It is the same gas that is commercially applied to produce to make it ripe before it goes to store shelves. Keep your bouquet off all of it.
Temperature: a cool room, no direct lighting, not directly in front of vents and appliances. That’s the sweet spot.
The Leaves Nobody Thinks to Take Away
Removing the leaves of the lower part of each stem is one of these flower-tending errors that seem to be needless until you realize the reason. Any plants that are below the water line will begin to decompose in a day or two. The rotting vegetable matter not only causes the water to become dirty and opaque, but it also forms a breeding ground of bacteria, as well as it obstructs the very route the flower requires to remain moist.
Take off everything that would be covered by the water line and then you are ready to place the stems. It lasts approximately a minute and can be seen to visibly make a difference on the level of cleanliness of the water maintained throughout the week.
Disposing the Food Packet of the Flower
That small sachet, which is stuck in the bouquet wrap? Don’t toss it. It’s not filler. Flower food is nutritious, with sugar and an acidifier to aid the movement of water up the stem, and a weak antibacterial substance, which retards bacterial growth in the vase. The combination of the three things significantly prolongs the length of time that your flowers remain fresh.
In case you lost the packet or have already used it, a hasty home-drawn version can be used: one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon of white vinegar and one or two drops of bleach to every litre. It is a strange thing to hear, but it actually does work.
Fitting a Lot of Stems In a Single Vase
Another flower care error that people usually commit with bigger bouquets is that they stuff all the stems in one vase since that is the way it came. The overcrowded stems break each other, limit the air flow and form the warm and damp environment under which bacteria multiply.
In the event that you possess an ample arrangement, divide it into two vases. You breathe easier, drink cleaner and frankly two beautiful exhibits rather than one half-depressed one.
Forgetting the Flowers the Next Day
Setting a bouquet in a vase and walking away is where most arrangements quietly fall apart. Flowers need a bit of ongoing attention. Re-trim the stems every couple of days — not just a snip, but a proper fresh cut. Always replace the water instead of adding more water and when any or two of the stems begin to go, pull them out immediately. A flower that is dying emits ethylene gas that will drag the rest of the arrangement with it much quicker than it would have .
The Bottom Line
None of this is complicated. It is simply a matter of developing a few small habits around something you already spent money on so as to avoid these flower care mistakes. Fresh flowers are among the relatively simpler delights in life – it is worth the five extra minutes to make them last. A small investment at the beginning will pay all the time when you pass by that vase and see that they are still tall a week later.
Qamar Javed