There’s no better way to brighten your home during a dreary winter than by decorating with fresh cut floweng them to droop prematurely – potentially before they reach their peak. Here are some tips for keeping your fresh cut flowers looking perky as long as possible this winter:
If the flowers are delivered to an office or any place they will not be kept at, make sure to warm up your car before transporting them home. Flowers cannot survive below 37* for less than a minute.
Keep Flowers Away from Heat Sources
It’s common for houses to experience temperature fluctuations during the winter, especially if they run on radiator heat. However, when trying to sustain a vase of fresh cut flowers, it’s best to display them in an area with as steady of a temperature as possible. Keep the vase away from windows that may frost or get cold in low temperatures, heat registers, vents, and radiators. It’s also best to keep them from appliances that emit heat, like your stove, the top of your fridge, and TVs or DVD players.
Trim The Stems
Once the flowers are removed from the plant, their lifespan will be finite. The stems slowly die from the bottom up, so it’s important to trim the dead ends off frequently to ensure they’re able to absorb nutrients from the water. Every day or two, remove the bouquet from the vase and trim about a half inch from the bottom, on an angle, with a sharp knife. Make sure the knife or shears are sharp enough to not crush the end of the flower when you cut it. You don’t want the end to be sealed before you even put the stem back in water!
Change The Flower’s Water
A good rule of thumb when it comes to maintaining fresh cut flowers is not to let them sit in water that you wouldn’t drink yourself. When your vase’s water becomes cloudy or discolored, there’s enough bacteria in there to speed up the aging process for your flowers. Always cut the leaves that sit below the water line off, too. You shouldn’t use water too warm, unless you want to speed up the blooming process, or too cold. Room-temperature water works best.
Waiting for Your Flower Delivery
If you’re ordering your fresh cut flowers through The Wild Orchid you can rest assured that the florist delivering the flowers is doing his or her best to make sure they arrive in perfect condition so they last as long as possible in your home. When placing your order online, note the best time for delivery in the “special instruction” box, so there’s no risk of missing your delivery. The Wild Orchid prefers not to leave arrangements on the porch unless you specify that it’s OK with you. In most cases, the florist will bring the arrangement back to the flower shop so you can pick it up when it’s more convenient for you, or he or she will try the delivery at a later date.
Adding the right pops of color to your home will keep your spirits up, even on the dreariest of days!