5 Failproof Tips to Keep Your Flower Arrangements Alive
Everyone has their Martha Stewart moment. For some, it’s baking, for others, it’s home decor. I have a feeling for you, it might just be the art of floral arranging. Except there’s just one problem…
After feeling ever so confident at St.Lawrence Market, scooping up bunch after bunch of locally grown Ontario flowers and artfully arranging them in your grandmother’s vase on your kitchen counter, just a mere 24 hours later devastation hit. All your blooms are looking rather sad.
What gives?
It’s all about keeping your flowers in a happy environment
Just like humans, flowers thrive in a well-maintained, clean environment. Think about how your mood shifts when you leave the bed unmade for a day, or let the sink pile up with dirty dishes. No bueno. Yet, as soon as we fold that pile of laundry or tidy up the kitchen sink, things start to shift and we feel a little bit better when we take care of our environment.
Flowers respond similarly. When we bring cut flowers home, they have a shelf life. No cut flower will look as fresh as it did on the day you brought it home, but think of it as your personal mission to keep them looking (and feeling) as good as you can while they’re in your care. The main thing to understand is that without your help, your vase of fresh flowers will breed bacteria fast. Your job is to slow down that process. These 5 failproof tips will keep your flower arrangements alive and looking fresh for longer.
The main thing to understand is that without your help, your vase of fresh flowers will breed bacteria fast. Your job is to slow down that process.
Flowers for Ellen + Alex, photography by Amanda Weldon
1. Keep away from direct heat and sun
This one may feel like a total oxymoron since it’s well known that to allow plants to grow they need 2 things: water and sun. However, when you’re dealing with cut flowers in water (ie. there’s no soil), one of the worst things we can do is place it in that sunny spot in on the kitchen table or directly under a heater. Why? Think about a piece of lettuce hanging out in the sun vs in a cool shady spot. It’ll naturally stay crisper for longer because it’s been able to maintain itself. The same thing happens with flowers. The direct sun and/or heat sources will affect the flowers’ colour (typically making it paler), dry out the flower, and encourage the stems to release emissions that rapidly increase its path to expiring (aka dying). The takeaway: keep your flowers away from heat and sun. Capishe?
2. Change the vase water often
Let’s think about something super gross: a bath filled with last week’s bathwater. Yuck, right? Now think about your flowers hanging about in the same water that’s been with it from the day they were arranged, to the last day they look good. Yeah…time to change that water. Flowers are naturally going to create bacteria as they sit in the water, but you can reduce the speed at which the bacteria grows by changing it every other day with fresh cold water. The more often you change the water, the longer they’ll last. Easy peasy.
3. Recut the stems every few days
When stems are cut, this allows for the flower to drink up water quickly. But weren’t your stems already cut when they were put in the vase? Yes, however….the stems will naturally form a seal, preventing them from drinking up as much water as they can. When you recut the stems, this “opens a new seal” and allows the stems to drink up more water. I’ll admit that even as a florist, it’s an annoying task, so aim to do it 1 to 2 times in the time you have the arrangement. Bonus points if you cut the stem on an angle to allow for the maximum amount of water for the stems to drink.
4. Remove expired stems, and keep leaves above the water line
I don’t think any human has ever been spared from the absolute satanic smell that is a result of rancid flower water from an arrangement that is way past its prime. Two things most likely happened in order for this to occur: 1) the water was never changed, and 2) expiring stems (aka dead) hung out in the vase when their party was over. When flowers die, they begin to create bacteria that will infect the other, more lively flowers. Removing them will allow for the still partying stems to last longer. In addition, when leaves from stems go below the water line, they begin to create bacteria too. So as you’re cutting your stems, gently tear off any leaves that may go below the water line.
5. Keep away from ripening fruits and vegetables
This is a tip that’ll blow your mind. The gas (ethylene) that many fruits 'n veggies produce, speeds up the aging process in flowers. So ditch that cute lil Pinterest perfect kitchen counter moment and shove your bowl of bananas away from the fleurs. My tip? Keep the produce on the counter, a tiny bud vase by the tap (so you can still have a cute flower moment close to where you do a lot of cooking), and place the arrangement on the kitchen table…a safe distance from those gasses.
Some flower care is better than no flower care
If you’re new to flower arranging, and all of these tips feel a bit overwhelming, then just choose one to start. Afterall, following one tip is better than none! One of the activities I love most when taking an arrangement home is the few days after I've received it. Having a chance to play 'maker', get my hands a little dirty, and keep the bloomin' blooms looking good. It's kind of like giving your plants a good prune, or tidying your desk. Things flourish with a little TLC.
Ready to put your newfound flower care skills to the test?
Do have a little snoop around the site to see what kind of flower services can add that extra bit of flower magic to your life. We focus on event floral activations, custom gifting (think: 10 arrangements sent out to your besties), private workshops, and a select number of weddings. 💐
