Every bouquet that leaves our shop is conditioned before it goes out, which means the stems are cut, fed and rested in deep water before we ever tie them. That gives your flowers the best possible start. What happens next is up to you, and it makes more difference than most people think.
The first five minutes
Unwrap the bouquet as soon as you can. Flowers wrapped in paper and cellophane sweat, and warm damp air shortens their life. Trim two to three centimetres off every stem with sharp scissors, cutting at an angle so the stem has the biggest possible surface to drink through. A blunt cut squashes the stem and it will struggle.
Strip off any leaves that would sit under the water. Leaves rot quickly underwater and rotting leaves feed the bacteria that kill flowers early.
Water, food and position
Use a clean vase. If you can see a tide mark in it, wash it out first. Fill with cool fresh water and stir in the flower food that came with your bouquet. It is not a gimmick, it feeds the flowers and slows the bacteria down.
Then think about where the vase lives. Flowers last longest somewhere cool, out of direct sunlight, away from radiators and away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas, and ethylene ages flowers fast. The kitchen windowsill above a warm oven next to the bananas is, honestly, the worst spot in the house.
Every couple of days
Change the water, rinse the stems, and give them a fresh trim if the water has gone cloudy. Lift out anything that has gone over. One collapsing stem will drag the rest down with it.
If you want flowers that last months
Our dried flower range needs none of the above. No water, no feeding, no fuss. Keep dried arrangements out of strong sun and steamy rooms and they will look good for a year or more. Between fresh for the moment and dried for the long run, there is a right flower for every room.
Questions about a bouquet you have received from us? Call the shop on 01962 865694 and one of our florists will help.
