You received a beautiful bouquet of flowers that took your breath away and filled the whole office with “oohs” and “ahhs”! You got to feel special and elated for the entire day and wish the feeling – and the flowers – would last.
Different flower varieties have different life expectancies. When sending flowers or after you’ve received your own, call your florist for specific information about the type you’ve received. But to err on the side of caution, follow these simple tips to extend the life and beauty of your bouquet!
- Included with your flowers should be a packet of “Flower Food”. In this packet is a mixture of additives to feed your blooms and to help keep the water clean longer. If you follow the directions on the packet and mix the solution correctly, it will extend the life of your flowers. But be careful – if mixed with too much or too little water, Flower Food can do more harm than good.
- If your flowers have a woody stem, such as Lilac or Forsythia, it’s a good idea to give them a fresh cut. Use sharp pruning shears to cut the stem at an angle, which exposes a larger area for water consumption. Add the Flower Food to some warm water and then add the freshly-cut stems to promote flower opening.
- Be sure to remove any leaves or blooms that would lie below the water line in the vase. Letting the greenery sit in the water promotes bacterial growth in the water and could cause the stems to rot.
- If you don’t want to use the included Flower Food – or you run out – you should be sure to change the water in the vase daily, re-cutting the stems each time. You can also place a copper penny in the bottom of the vase, as the copper acts as a natural fungicide. To feed your flowers naturally, you can add a teaspoon of white sugar for each cup of water.
- If you received your bouquet in floral foam, be sure to keep the foam wet. Adding a little fresh water each day and keeping the foam soaked will continue to activate the Flower Food added to the foam at the time of the design.
- Keep your bouquet rather loose in the vase to let all of the flowers get enough air. Even though they are cut, they are still alive and still need to breathe and eat. If they are jammed too tightly into the vase, they will wilt faster. Heat is also harmful, so avoid placing your bouquet in direct sunlight and they will stay beautiful longer.
Receiving flowers makes people happy. Keeping the flowers beautiful and vibrant will extend that amazing feeling! Don’t hesitate to contact one of Boesen’s helpful consultants for more information.
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