Bouquet Care Tips & FAQ’s
Bouquet Care Tips & FAQ’s
We all wish flowers would live forever, but unfortunately every flower has its own unique expected vase life. This is, in part, determined by the variety, growing conditions, harvesting stage & and post-harvest care.
So you’ve brought home a beautiful bouquet & now you’re wondering how to keep your flowers beautiful & happy for as long as possible? Here’s my best tips:
Clean vase, cool water!
Start by filling a clean vase with cool water. For most flowers, water slightly cooler than room temperature is perfect! Add flower food if desired. Arrange your flowers, removing any leaves or greenery that are below the water line in your vase.
Placement is everything!
Of course, placing your flowers where you will get the most joy from them is important! But, keeping your bouquet in a location out of direct sunlight & away from high heat or any ripening fruits and veggies will help keep them fresh the longest.
Trim & refresh!
Daily water refreshing will definitely help your flowers stay joyful the longest! Every other water change, give your vase a wash to get rid of any slime/bacteria buildup inside. Dish soap works just fine, but bleach is also helpful in getting rid of nasty bacteria you can’t see.
Remove any spent blooms or foliage to help eliminate bacteria sources. Trim about 1/4” off the ends of the flower stems, being sure to cut at an angle to give them the most surface area to drink. Place them back in the water, with more flower food if desired.
BOUQUET CARE FAQ:
Q: What does ripening fruit or veggies have to do with the vase life of my flowers?
A: Ripening fruits such as apples, tomatoes & bananas emit ethylene gas, which can cause other fruits, veggies & plants (including your flowers!) to ripen, or age, faster.
Q: I would prefer not to use flower food. Is there another way to “feed” flower bouquets?
A: While I have not personally tested any of them (yet!) there are flower food alternative recipes online that include sugar & vinegar, or sugar & bleach. In these recipes, the sugar is the “food”, and the vinegar/bleach works as the bacteria growth inhibitor. If you’re looking for a flower food alternative, I’d encourage you to experiment with either of these options:
2 teaspoons of sugar & 2 teaspoons of white vinegar OR 2 teaspoons of sugar & 1/4 teaspoon of bleach per quart of vase water. I will be experimenting this season with the sugar/vinegar recipes & will be sharing my findings in the future!
Q: What is the expected vase life of my bouquet?
A: Because each flower has its own unique vase life, and there are so many factors involved, I can’t perfectly answer that question. But here are the “in a perfect world” vase life expectations of some popular flowers I grow & sell.
Zinnia: 7-10 days
Sunflower: 7-10 days
Dalia: 3-7 days (very dependent on variety)
Cosmos: 5-7 days
Snapdragon: 5-10 days
Stock: 5-10 days
Ranunculus: 5-10 days
Peony: 5-7 days