A bouquet of flowers can brighten up any room and bring plenty of joyful moments. When properly taken care of, the bouquet can last longer. With a little maintenance and a few tricks, freshly cut flowers can bring extra days of enjoyment.
Below, we provide you with the most popular and time-tested ways you can keep your bouquet looking fresh for longer, using common household ingredients. So, extend the life of your bouquet by following these methods!
Place flowers in warm water as soon as possible
By cutting the flower stems, their life supporting system has been removed, thus it has to be rebalanced.
Firstly, eliminate the wrapping paper, as it can bruise the flowers, whereas cellophane, in particular, can cause them to sweat.
After cut flowers have been left out of water for a period of time, cells start to form over the cut ends of the stems. This will prevent stems from taking up water. To remove the sealed part, snip off about 2.5cm from the stem ends and then place in water preferably with preservative added. Allow the flowers to absorb the water before arranging.
Avoid overcrowding flowers
Allow enough air to circulate between each flower. Too many flowers crowded together in a bucket may cause the petals to become squashed and bruised. Place the bucket in a cool dark place and allow the flowers to absorb the water before arranging. When picking short-stemmed flowers, use a smaller container.
Use a flower preservative to destroy bacteria in the water
Flower preservatives are available in garden centres or supermarkets. Another alternative is to use a cap-full of household bleach in the water. If a preservative is not used, the water needs to be changed and the stems angle cut on a daily basis. If a preservative is used, the stems do not require re-cutting and water needs to be changed only about twice a week.
