Caring for cut flowers

Flower gifts carry so much more than just fragrance and beauty. They carry a million unspoken messages that only get comprehended by the receiver. Isn't that reason enough to let them last as long as possible. It is mostly believed that flowers can stay fresh for 2 to 3 days at the most. But if taken care well, flowers from Interflora can easily last a good 7 days! We've even had huge iconic installation decor last a whole week! What does it take to last so long? Well, you'll be surprised how little needs to be done to extend their life even by 3-4 whole days! Here are a few tips on cut flower care for the uninitiated:

1. Pruning: If you have ordered for hand-tied bouquets or flower boxes, you are most likely going to transfer the flowers to vases. And here is when you might find leaves going below the water level. What do you do? Deleaf. Leaves dipped in the water would encourage bacterial growth which can fasten the decay of the flowers. Certain flower like ranunculus and roses have two or three guard petals (the outermost petals). Take these out to allow the flowers to open up completely. Repeat this process everyday - check for leaves lowering into the water or outer petals withering and remove them to prevent bacterial rot.

2. Avoid Heat, Fruits, direct sunlight and drafts: Flowers last longer in air conditioned or lower temperature rooms. Fans, open windows, cooling and heating vents tend to dehydrate the flowers, so do avoid placing your blooms in such areas. Avoid placing them under direct sunlight and this accelerates the drying. Fruits are on the list too! Ripening fruits release small amounts of ethylene gas which reduce the longevity of flowers. Regular cutting of stems: The most common reasons of reduced longevity of fresh flowers is not cutting the stems. Use gardening shears or scissors to cut the end of the stems by 1-2 inches. Make sure you cut them at an angle for bettering the intake of water. Do check if you need to re-trim the stems every day.

3. Watering enough: Watering the bouquet is important and so is doing it wisely. Only use clean vases. Pour in room temperature water and mix in your flower food. Make sure the mixture is not too diluted or concentrated. Mix well till it dissolves before adding in the flower stems. Do change the water every 3 days and rinse your vase before refilling them.

Experiment around your house space to check where they last the longest. Apart from these generic tips, there are several other household remedies to make them last longer. Do check out our page of home remedies to know more.