General Flower Care Tips
Fresh flowers are one of the most exquisite of life’s pleasures. They’re also one of life’s most fleeting pleasures. Their beauty is sweet but it’s also all too short. So how can we extend their lives and extend our pleasure?.
Florists and flower growers do their best to make sure their flowers get to you in tip top condition. Perth online florist, Perth Florist Direct has these simple flower care tips to help you keep them that way.
Getting them home quickly is the first trick. Flowers don’t like spending time on the road, so once you’ve been to the florist – it’s straight home!. Heat and flowers aren’t a good mix, so when the temperature is climbing, you need to get them home FAST!. Turn the dial on the airconditioning to its lowest setting to keep them cool and try and place them out of direct sunlight.
As soon as you can, place the flowers into a deep bucket of cool water. A top tip is to spray a fine mist of water onto the petals and leaves to freshen them up.
Select a your container and give it an extra rinse to make sure it’s clean. Flowers and detergent don’t mix and any residue from previous bouquets can cause infection and harm your beautiful new blooms. If you have flower preservative, add the sachet to the full vase. Good florists will provide this with their bouquets or arrangements. These flower foods contain the right balance of ingredients to nourish the flowers, keep bacteria at bay, prolong the life of the arrangement and stimulate the buds to open – but it’s important to follow the instructions to the letter as incorrect preparation can do more harm than good.
Once the vase is ready, snip about a centimetre off each stem. Make sure the secateurs are sharp for a clean cut. A general rule is to cut straight on soft stems and at an angle on woody stems, such as roses and hydrangeas. Leaves below the waterline should be stripped to avoid contamination of the water.
To ensure your carefully arranged bouquet doesn’t lose its shape, you can always tie it with some florist’s twine. This helps with handling the arrangement when you lift it to cut the stems or refresh the water. Some arrangements are already tied, so it’s best to leave these intact.
The water should be topped up regularly and changed completely every three or four days, says online florist in Perth Any fallen leaves or flowers should also be taken out of the water as these can cause algae to grow which will cut short the lives of the flowers. It’s also recommended that flowers be dead-headed and dying leaves removed so that the flowers remain healthy for longer. Snipping off a centimeter or so from the stems every three days is also a good idea.
Arrangements which use ‘oasis’ or water-retaining foam will also need regular topping up. Trickle water into the middle of the arrangement or into a special nick in the foam, to ensure full absorption.
Most importantly, place flowers in a cool position. They prefer temperatures between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius, and should be placed away from direct sunlight or any heating or cooling vents. They should also be placed away from electrical appliances such as TVs, microwaves, ovens, fridges etc that emit heat. And interestingly, placing your vase near the fruitbowl isn’t always a good idea!. The ethylene gas that some fruits emit during ripening can actually speed up the rate at which the flowers perish.
And the final tip is the most important one – enjoy them. Their beauty may be fleeting but the joy is intense. It’s the very best showcase for Mother Nature, says online florist in Perth, Perth Florist Direct.
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