The doorbell rings and flower delivery waits at your door, with a beautiful bouquet of red roses (or orchids, if you prefer). You can’t believe what’s happening to you, you feel overwhelmed by the surprise and you can’t wait to call the person who sent it to you. So you throw the flowers quickly in a vase and go on with you phone call. And then you wonder why the second day the red of the roses is not so red anymore, why the leaves are looking at the floor and some petals start to fall. Can you believe that some flowers can last up to three weeks? How?
1. Re-cut the stems—You need to re-cut the stem of all flowers and foliages and place them into a clean container. As a general rule, I recommend taking 1.5 cm off the end of the stem, creating a slanted cut allowing the end of the stem to be exposed to the maximum surface area of water.
2. Remove foliage—Remove any foliage from the stem that will be in the water, as this will cause bacteria to grow. And the less leaf on the stem the easier it is for the flower to take up water to the all-important flower head.
3. Clean water—Make sure that the container and the water are clean and free from bacteria. Dirty water may be absorbed into the stem of the flower but it will clog up the vessels within the stems and may then obstruct proper absorption of water by the flower and cause the flower to wilt prematurely.
4. Temperature—Flowers should never go into water that’s cold as lukewarm water provides more oxygen ad is better for the longevity of flowers. The room temperature is also critical to the flowers’ lives. Most flowers such as tulips and roses will last considerably longer at 10 degrees than they will at 20 degrees. Direct sunlight will cause the flower to mature quickly and shorten the vase life.
5. Feeding—Once the flower or branch has been cut from the plant, the flowers do not have enough energy to breath further, and feeding the cut flowers with sugars can enhance this energy shortage. Add bleach or sugar to the water, if you don’t have a flower professional solution.
If you didn’t buy or receive flowers, but you cut them directly from your own garden, it is best to do it in the evening or first thing in the morning. Evening is my preference: at the end of the day the maximum reserves of food are stored in the plant. You can cut your plant and leave it to drink water and flower food overnight—flowers and foliage will be strong and ready for arranging in the morning. If you do all these simple things for your flowers, you’ll be able to enjoy their beauty more. And it’s worth it, especially if someone dear has put an effort in surprising you with a beautiful bouquet of flowers home delivered to you.