One of the most FAQ is “how long will my flowers last?”
Well, my Flower Friends, there is no short answer to how long anything can live- even beautiful blooms. However, as with any living thing, the amount of TLC poured in can provide a longer life. When taking care of your arrangement here are some keys to getting the most out of your flowers:
1) Keep the water cool. Flowers like cool temperatures and thrive in 33 to 60 degrees (unless tropical then they enjoy a bit warmer temps). So, while your florist keeps flowers in a fridge (and it’s a special flower fridge) to provide longevity, you can’t enjoy them that way at home! You can still however, keep them out of a window and away from heaters or air vents. Changing out the water every other day to cool water will help them to stay cool, too!
2) Do you drink dirty water? As your stems are kept in water make sure that is ALL that is in the water. Remove lower leaves by snipping off with scissors or plucking off gently by hand. Any fallen petals, leaves, pollen should be a sign to pour out and re-fill with fresh cool water. (If you have a garden or house plants you can hydrate with old flower water to re-use and recycle).
3) One pack will do ya! I used to think, I have a whole bouquet of flowers and ONE packet of flower food, they are destined to not live long. With some research and flower education, this packet has enough nutrients for your blooms to thrive for weeks. If you read the back instructions, you don’t need much to add to your vase of fresh cool water. Sprinkle a bit in each time you change out the water and the bleach, sugar mixture will keep your flowers full and germ free for some days. This packet is included with all our arrangements and bouquets, so you don’t have to change the water EVERDAY, but it won’t hurt to do so! If you run out of it, changing the water sans the packet will still encourage them to live a long life!
4) A little snip, snip! Each time you change the water, when you pullout the bunch of flowers by the upper stem, grab garden pruners or a sharp knife- both preferred to scissors, and give the stem an angled snip of about ¼ of an inch so they have a fresh clean cut to drink from (the angle provide a bigger opening for the flower to drink from).
5) Let’s get TECHNICAL. Your flowers are not from YOUR garden, so just as your food is probably not from your garden either, they go through a similar process! They are grown mostly from South America, the Netherlands or Coastal Cities in the USA and shipped here to be processed by your grocer, arranged, then sold to you. So yes, they last a long time as they are coming from around the world for us to enjoy! Most grocers get flowers on Monday and put them out for the week. If you get some weekend flowers gifted to you, chances are they have been touched quite a bit and out in the fresh air living their best life already. However, you should get a good 5 days out of healthy flowers, and this should be standard when purchasing arrangements or bouquets (not event floral decor).
6) 5 days, that’s not long at all. Really? Well, 5 days minimum (I swear most of the time the out last 5 days- heading to 2 weeks plus!) with good care practices! Ask yourself this when you are gifted an item, taken on a date, enjoying an outing… How long does that last? So yep… flowers last longer, way longer! And yes, they will eventually die and not be around forever (unless you invest in preserving them) they provide so many benefits! They exude positive energy, most have amazing fragrances, the colors are cheerful and often surreal; they are one of the best gifts you can give!
Thanks for reading and be sure to leave your email address below to be notified of upcoming Anique Design Flower Blogs, New Product Alerts and Upcoming events!