Bouquet Care

A few quick tips to keep your bouquet looking fabulous.

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

- at least in terms of vase life.

The best way to remember this is to ask yourself: 

“Would I drink the water my flowers are in?”

The vase needs to be clean enough to drink out of and the water needs to be kept clean enough to drink. This one step alone will give your flowers the longest possible vase life. 

Add any flower food you receive with your flowers to the water each time you freshen it up.  If you run out, you can mix your own by adding 1tbsp of sugar and a few drops of bleach to 1 quart of water.  Room temperature water is best.

Snip with Abandon and Edit as Needed 

Plan to cut ¼ - ½ inch off the bottom of each stem with every water change.  This will keep the cuts fresh so that the flower will continue to take up water.

Pull spent blooms as soon as they start to visibly age.  You can extend bloom time by simply pulling the spent outer petals (think roses and dahlias) or giving an even deeper cut, up to 2” off the bottom of the stems as a last ditch effort to resuscitate them.  When all else fails, or when they’re done and you’re over it, pull and toss them straight into the compost.

Solo Show

Plan to place your flowers in an area that does not get direct sunlight and is well away from fruit or food preparation.  Direct light will drain the life right out of the flowers and the off-gassing (ethylene, it’s benign) from the aging fruit will cause them to droop and shed their petals almost immediately. 

Lastly, Love Them

Look at them closely.  

Meditate on their exquisite design.  

Ponder your place in the universe and theirs.

Enjoy the beauty of every element in your bouquet.

Much love!

Xoxo e