Receiving a bouquet of flowers from someone dear to your heart is very special. These flowers serve as a testament to the love and effort they’re willing to give for your happiness. However, these bouquets of blossom aren’t meant to last forever. It can be frustrating when you witness your bouquet starting to wilt. After receiving such a beautiful arrangement, there are ways to ensure that you’re able to keep it looking fresh and vibrant for a longer time.
If the flowers came from someone dear to you, keeping them at home can make you feel more connected to it and the person that gave them to you. Having these flowers can help in relieving the special memories and bring a smile to your face. Keeping it fresh at home can also be an added décor element that’s a delight to have. It’s hard to top the feeling you get having fresh flowers on a vase to wake up to or admire on your table upon breakfast.
If you’re in need of some care tips, this article has you covered on the simplest ways you can keep and prolong your bouquet’s freshness and liveliness.
1. Keep It Away From Extreme Temperatures
The moment they’re cut off from their original stems, flowers are said to be on a ticking timebomb. It’s believed that from that moment on, they’re living through a very short lifespan. Ergo, you’ll need to take the necessary steps to prolong their expected longevity.
One of which is by avoiding them to get exposed to any form of direct heat or sunlight. You’ll need to put your fresh bouquet in key strategic areas in your home. This means avoiding areas that are regularly exposed to extreme temperatures. Additionally, you can also move them from one place to another at different times of the day.
For example, you may place your cut flowers at a windowsill in the morning where they can enjoy little amounts of direct sunlight. Then as the day carries on, you can place it to a shady part of your home to avoid the perils brought by a hot afternoon. You may also want to put it far from doors where the cold wind can pass every time someone opens the door.
2. Replenish The Water Frequently
Your bouquet of cut flowers needs water to survive and prolong its limited lifespan. Therefore, you’ve got to make a mental note to replenish the flowers’ water frequently. It’s said that flowers can be thirsty and drink a lot of water too! Hence, you’ll need to give them a good and clean source of water.
The bigger your flower boquet near me, the more water you’ll need. You’ll see this when you’ve got a clear vase and immediately overnight, you’ll find that so much of the water has been absorbed by the flowers.
How frequently should you do it? Changing the water once every two days may help. If needed, do so more frequently. As you change the water in your vase, keep in mind the following:
- Remove any dead leaves or flowers in the vase and the flowers’ stems;
- Rinse the vase with soap and water to remove any bacteria that may have formed and cause damage to the flowers; and,
- Put a small packet of nutrients in the water.
3.Trim The Stem Off Regularly
Cutting off a part of the flowers’ stems can also help in prolonging its display lifespan. Do this before you put the flowers in the vase the soonest you receive your bouquet, and after every water change that you do moving forward.
Remember that these flowers no longer have roots. Consequently, they’re very reliant on their stems for them to absorb nutrients and ingredients. Eventually, the ends of the stems will deteriorate and die out. In effect, it’s going to be harder for them to absorb the water and help nourish the flower.
Trimming them at least half an inch regularly can give you a fresh stem that’s more capable of absorbing water. By doing so, you’re ensuring that your flowers actually receive the nutrients that they should, from the water.
4. Avoid Putting Your Flowers Beside Ripening Vegetation
If you’ve got vegetables and fruits that are about to ripen soon, you may also want to avoid putting your flowers beside them.
When fruit ripens, it’d usually give off an odorless invisible gas known as ethylene. While this is harmless to humans, the same doesn’t hold true for flowers. They’re more delicate and susceptible to the gas’ effects.
To fully realize the effect of ethylene to cut flowers, you need to understand the lifecycle of a fruit. All fruits first start off as a flower. Eventually, it grows into a fruit that contains seeds it’d use to start over the whole plant life cycle. Ethylene is a hormone that plants give off so that the flower can drop its petals to make room for the maturing fruit to grow and develop.
Hence, if you put your flowers beside a ripening fruit, you’re speeding up its natural life cycle by encouraging your flower’s petals to wilt faster.
5. Put Your Favorite Soda To Good Use
While your favorite carbonated drink is great to pair up with a steaming hot cheeseburger after a long afternoon, it can also be useful in keeping cut flowers in their pristine shape. Instead of chugging down the whole can, you may want to keep a few drops of it for your blossoms.
Mix around ¼ cup of any soda of your choice with the water in your flowers’ vase. The sugar content in the drink’s ingredients will keep your blooms last longer. You can also play up a little flair on it. You can select a clear soda or a colored drink to complement the color and design of the vase. Besides soda, you can also use a series of household items that does the same trick.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
Create a mixture by combining two tablespoons of your trusty apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons of sugar, and tap water. Stir thoroughly until all of the ingredients have joined together seamlessly. Then pour the finished mixture into a vase before you add in the flowers.
- Aspirin
It’s said that using aspirin is one of the most tried and tested ways of keeping flowers fresh for longer. Start your concoction by crushing one tablet of aspirin and dissolve it in water. Add in your flowers as soon as you don’t notice any leftover particles.
- Coins
Metal coins are believed to be effective at acting as an acidifier and inhibit the growth of bacteria in the flower vase’s water. Add a copper coin and in a mixture of sugar and water for you to achieve its maximum effect.
6. Choose The Right Vase Or Container Size
Just like how you wouldn’t want to keep a giant dog in a cage meant for a tiny puppy, the same also holds true for your flowers. The bigger your arrangement, the bigger the vase size you’re going to need.
Flowers need ample space to breathe and overcrowding them in a cramped space may cause them to have a shortened lifespan. Select the right vase with the proper dimensions such as the width of the vase’s mouth and overall height depending on the blossom that you’ve got.
Conclusion
With all the thought and effort that comes into a bouquet of flowers, surely, you’ll want to find a way to extend its life. It’s not just enough to receive it, and then put it aside and leave it to wilt in the next day or two.
You can keep them alive longer and use them to beautify your home too. By doing so, its life is fully maximized. Most importantly, in taking good care of these flowers, you’re also able to send the message to the giver that you truly appreciate the thought and effort that came along with it, that you actually made the effort to make it last longer.
