Flower Care

How do I care for my flowers?

There are a number of things that you can do to extend the life of your cut flower purchase.

1. Remove all foliage that would be underwater in the vase. Leaves rot when submerged and will shorten the life of the flowers.
2. Cut all stems at a 45-degree angle, underwater. This keeps the stems from sitting flat in a vase and creates more surface area to absorb water. Cutting underwater prevents air bubbles from forming in the stem. Air bubbles impede the flow of water to the flower, causing them to wilt.
3. Fill vase with water and the flower preservative provided which kills bacteria and extends the life of the flowers.
4. Change the water and trim the ends underwater every second day.
5. Flowers with hollow stems such as amaryllis, lupines, delphiniums and Queen Ann’s lace, need to stay full of water. Pour water into the stem and then plug the stem before putting them into a vase.
6. Woody-stemmed flowers like branches of flowering trees, lilacs, azaleas, forsythia, crab-apple, cherry etc. should be split vertically about an inch or two up the stem, to enable the branch to draw more water. If the stem is very thick, smash the bottom few inches with a hammer.
7. Flowers that grow from bulbs need the firm white portion at the bottom of the stem cut off so that the flower can draw water up the stem. Tulips do better if you place them in ice water and keep adding ice daily.
8. Flowers that have nodes in their stems such as baby’s breath, carnations and sweet William, need to be cut just above one of the nodes so that they can more easily absorb water.
9. The pollen of scented lilies such as Stargazer or Casablanca is a dye and will stain clothes and furniture. Remove the stamens as the lilies open.
10. If roses look limp, cut the stems underwater and plunge the stem into boiling water or lay the stems and flower heads in a bath of room temperature water. They will absorb water through their pores. Keep vases of roses full of water.