Whether you have a new addition to the family, are celebrating a life that has passed, looking for that perfect gift to bring a hostess this Holiday season, or a quick way to brighten up any space, flowers are the answer. Flowers are the international symbol of beauty, an extended endearment, a magnificent way to brighten the spirit and an interior space.
Whether you’ve just grabbed cut flowers from the farmers market, received them from Seattle’s best floral arrangement delivery, or purchased them from a local floral shop, how do you ensure you can enjoy them for the full duration of their beauty? How do you make sure they won’t wilt prematurely? Here are a few quick tips to help your fresh flowers last as long as possible.
- Cut off the end of the stems. The minute you receive your flowers or get them home to your house the first thing you need to do is remove the end of the stems. Cut off roughly one-two inches from the stems. Cut the stems on an angle so that the stems are not flat against the vase. A common mistake is that people cut them but not on an angle and then the tip of the stem is flush with the vase and can no longer receive proper absorption of water. And then continue to cut off a little bit of the stem every few days.
- Prune. Remove any dried leaves or wilted petals from the flowers before placing them in the vase. Continue to check flowers daily and remove any wilted leaves and petals.
- Add fresh room temperature water and the provided “flower food” And be sure to change water every two days.
- Avoid direct sunlight, drafts, heat, and fruit. Fruit? Yes, if your flowers are too close to fruit, which releases ethylene gas they will wilt much faster.
- Add your own flower food. Most floral arrangements and cut flowers come with one packet of flower food. This will get you through the first couple of days but once you change the water the flower food will go down the drain. Make your own flower food in order to make your flowers last as long as possible.
- Spread the beauty throughout the home. Some flowers will wilt before others. As this occurs cut down the stems even more and distribute them in multiple vases and place them throughout your home for those last few days of beauty.
Do you have any tried and true flower food recipes or tips? What’s your favorite flower?
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 
Wow 😮 I didn’t know all this. No wonder my flowers wilt so quickly