Fresh flowers are a small, living thing, and they last best when you treat them as one. A bouquet that comes in water and is looked after from the first hour will often give you a good week. Here is what we do in the studio, and what you can do at home.
Start with a clean vase
Before the flowers go in, wash the vase in warm soapy water and rinse it well. Bacteria are the main reason stems go slimy and water turns cloudy, and a clean vase gives the flowers a fresh start. Fill it about two thirds with cool water and stir in the flower food sachet that comes with your order.
Trim the stems
Take the bouquet out of its wrapping and trim 2cm off each stem at an angle with sharp scissors or snips. An angled cut gives the stem a larger surface to drink from and stops it sitting flat on the bottom of the vase. Trim again whenever you change the water, and remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline, because they rot quickly.
Five things to do every few days
Once the flowers are in, a small routine keeps them going.
- Change the water every two days, and rinse the vase each time.
- Re-trim the stems by 2cm at an angle when you change the water.
- Keep the vase away from fruit, which gives off a gas that makes flowers fade faster.
- Keep it away from radiators, fires and hot, sunny windows.
- Remove any fading stems as soon as they go, so they do not spoil the rest.
Where to put them
A cool, bright spot out of direct sun suits most flowers. Halls, kitchens and sitting rooms are fine as long as the vase is not next to a radiator or a bowl of fruit. If the room gets very warm, move the flowers somewhere cooler at night, and top up the water rather than waiting for the vase to run low.
Fresh bouquets last 5 to 7 days with normal care, and many last a little longer. Some stems, such as stocks and sweet peas, are more fleeting, while carnations and chrysanthemums can go on for well over a week. If a stem droops but the rest is fine, trim and re-cut it, then give it a few hours in deep, cool water.
The Hattie is a good place to start if you want a bouquet that holds its shape, with a mix of seasonal stems and soft foliage. Meadow Morning is lighter and looser, and it opens up beautifully over the week. If a bouquet arrives looking tired, do not worry straight away. Flowers that have been in a box for a day often perk up within a few hours of being trimmed and given clean water. Give them a cool spot and leave them alone rather than moving them about. However you arrange them, the same few habits make the difference between flowers that last a few days and flowers that last a week.
Every order leaves the studio with a hand-written card, so the message is ready to read the moment the box is opened.
