Flower Care Tips

Bouquets and Cut Flowers

On receiving your flowers, re-cut approx. 2.5 cm off the base of the stems o­n a sharp angle up the stem, this creates more area for water uptake than a blunt cut.

Remove any excess foliage - that will fall below the water line in the vase, as this will contaminate the water with bacteria.

The vase or vessell must be throughly clean  - water should be at room temperature. Dissolve floral preservative (if supplied) in water, otherwise a small splash of bleach will help to minimise bacteria growth in the water.

Check water levels frequently. Change the water if it looks murky.

Bouquets can be either be removed from giftwapping, you can gently remove with scissors any giftwrapping that will fall beneath the water line.  around. Wet wrapping may result in discolouring of the vase water, staining of table linens and contaminate the water.

Place your flowers away from heat, direct sunlight and draughts. A cooler position is most desirable - the hotter the room temperature, the shorter the vase life of the flowers will be.

Do not place your flowers near fruit. As fruit ripens it produces ethylene gas which is harmful to your flowers.

Carnations and roses which have knotted type "nodes" o­n their stems, must be cut above or below a node, not o­n top of o­ne. Water can not be drawn up the stem if the cut is made o­n a node.

Woody stemmed and hollow stemmed flowers such as chrysanthemums, roses, gerberas, sunflowers and delphiniums can have their stems re-cut, then plunged into boiling water for approx. 30 - 50 seconds, and then back into their fresh vase of cool water. This removes any air embolisms that are created in the stem whilst being out of water, which restricts the water flow to the head of the flower (a common cause for roses who wilt their heads).

Tropical flowers such as anthuriums, strelitzia, heliconia and orchids are sensitive to salt, which is produced in the sweat glands of our hands - therefore it is discouraged to touch the blooms as you may get black marks and cause bruising.

Spring Flowers such as daffodils, jonquils and early cheer, release a sap like substance which is poisonous to other flowers. Spring Flowers need to be in a vase of their own for 24 hours before being arranged with other flowers.

In contrast to what some flower experts say, do not bash the ends of woody stemmed flowers or foliage, as this damages the cells that make up the intricate flower uptake system, which ultimatly will effect the longetivity of the flower.

Arrangements
Flowers will not last as long if arranged in oasis, follow these simple instructions to ensure the longest life possible.