The delight you feel when receiving an unexpected delivery of fresh, beautiful, colorful flowers can soon turn to gloom when you consider that they won't last forever. You can perk up; protecting the blooms is possible if you just use these preservation suggestions:
Ensure Vase is Clean
After your last bouquet, the vase you used might have found its way into a kitchen cabinet. Before you fill it with clean water and plop your new flowers into it, stop and clean it. Bacteria may have been quietly growing in the vase and could affect your new blooms.
Clip Stems
The reason you put flowers into water is, of course, to allow them to "drink" water and continue to live out the rest of their life cycle. However, you don't know exactly when they were cut. From that time until their time in the vase, stem cells have begun to die, particularly at the clipped bottom. These dying or dead cells might act as an obstruction and it's harder for the living cells to become hydrated. Therefore, clip the stems again and expose them to water directly afterward.
Take Them Out of the Window
Many people love to put their flowers in front of an open window that lets a lot of sun in, thinking flowers need air and sunlight. This isn't the case in the way you think it is. Many flowers need both, but you have to be careful that it's not too much. Excessive air can dry out your new petals, and so can too much sun. A kitchen table or a shelf indoors can provide the moderate light and air that the bouquet needs.
Keep Flowers Away from Killer Fruit
You might love bananas, apples and other fruits, but they can be dangerous for flowers you're trying to keep alive. That's because many of your favorite fruits quietly release ethylene gas into the air. It's not harmful to you, and in fact, it's essential for the fruits themselves to mature, ripen and become delicious. However, this can be awful for flowers set too close to fruit because gas exposure could lead to quicker maturation and premature death.
Send them to Sleep in the Fridge
Cooler temperatures can preserve bouquets a bit longer, and your refrigerator can be a great, safe spot. Of course, you'll want to enjoy the flowers throughout the day, but when you're about to sleep, remember your bouquet and let it spend the night in the fridge.
These preservation tips allow flowers to bloom fully and live for that much longer in your home. Ask your local flower shop for plant food and additional guidance. Check out a website like http://www.marineflorists.com for more information and assistance.
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