Keep Those Cut Flowers Fresh Longer
If you’re lucky enough to receive a bouquet of fresh cut flowers or a live centerpiece, here are some tips to keep them alive and looking beautiful for as long as possible.
For cut flowers, use a pair of very sharp scissors or shears to cut the stems at an angle under running water. You’ll want to make sure you cut them to fit in your vase. Fill the vase with cool water and add the packet of plant food that came with the bouquet. If it didn’t come with one, don’t bother with any home remedies such as adding an asprin tablet or a penny. They don’t work. Before adding your flowers, strip off any leaves below the water line. If you leave them they will just rot, causing the flowers to die more quickly, make the water cloudy, and add a very unpleasant odor. Once you’ve arranged your flowers, make sure to change the water regularly and keep them away from high heat and drafts. Here’s a tip…if you have roses and they open fully within a day or so, it’s too hot!
For centerpieces, mist daily and make sure the foam block they are arranged in is kept moist. If your centerpiece includes candles, be very careful not to let them burn too low. At best, it could scorch your flowers, at worst, it could start a fire.
You’ll also want to be sure to keep any arrangement with colorful berries in it out of reach of curious tots and pets! Follow these tips and you can expect to enjoy your flowers for at least a week!
cut flowers, fresh flowers, flower arrangements, centerpieces, cut flower care, holiday flowers
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