If you are the lucky recipient of a gorgeous floral creation, then you know the joy you feel at receiving such a beautiful gift. In order to make sure you get the maximum enjoyment from the flowers you have received here are some simple tips to help. If you are unsure anything please do not hesitate to contact us, where we will try to answer all questions and queries you may have. .
The most important thing you can do with any flowers that you have, is to make sure any leaves that will be below the water line in the vase are removed. This will help the water to stay clean and aid with the longevity of the flowers.
Make sure you trim roughly 1cm from the stem of each flower before placing them into the vase. They may have been in water when you bought them, but often within half an hour a seal can form over the base of the stem to protect what water is left as the flower itself doesn't know if it will get to drink again. Although this is a good move by the flower to protect its resources, it also means that when it is then placed in a vase of water, the seal in effect then stops it from being able to take up more.
If your flowers have arrived to you in water, they can be left this way for 2-3 days. Please ensure that while the flowers are still in the water bag, you keep it topped up with water at all times. To do this carefully pour water in the middle of the tied bouquet and fill until it is level with the bow. After 2-3 days you will need to remove the water bag they are in. It is advisable to do this over a sink if possible to avoid water damage and damp floors. If you cut where the bow is tied, the cellophane water bag should easily pull away from the bouquet, leaving the stems free. There is no need to undo the tie holding the bouquet together if you do not wish to, as they will have been tied in a specific way, to save you from having to arrange them yourself in a vase.
The stems will need to be trimmed before placing the flowers into fresh water. To ensure the longevity or your flowers, this process should be repeated every 2/3 days.
If your flowers have arrived without a water bag, please make sure you trim the stems immediately and place or arrange the flowers into a vase of fresh water. To ensure longevity the water will need to be changed every 2/3 days and the stems will need to be re-trimmed.
Placing your basket or container onto a water proof surface is advisable, to avoid possible water damage to furniture.
Please ensure the container or basket is topped up with water at all times. Once the foam they are arranged in has dried out it will not take any more water in, and will therefore result in your flowers not lasting as long as they should.
Removing any wilting heads or leaves as time goes on will help you to enjoy your arrangement and flowers for a longer period of time.
Roses can be a beautiful flower that can last up to 3 weeks if cared for properly, but they can also be the bain of any florists life. Alongside the Gerbera, a Rose can suffer from airlocks, which if not treated will result in early wilting and you wont be able to enjoy their beauty for as long as you should. If you start to notice their heads are drooping slightly, or the petals don't look as stiff as they would normally, this can be a sign that there is an airlock, which is treatable, helping you to be able to enjoy them for as long as possible..
Take the roses out of the vase and trim about 1cm from the ends. Then gently, using the ends of scissors or something that you can apply a small amount of pressure with, gently crush the end of the rose. Also wrap the heads of the roses in some newspaper so that they are upright. They should then be placed into very hot water. Not boiling as this will scald the stems and do more harm, but almost boiling. Place the roses into the hot water and you should begin to see air bubbles rising. Once the bubbles have stopped, plunge the roses immediately into fresh, cold water. You should notice the heads picking back up within a couple of hours. Once they are looking back to their peak, they can then be re-trimmed and placed back into a vase and displayed as normal. As with all prevention is better than cure, and if the basic flower preparation is carried out, you should find you have no problems with them.
As has been reported in the news, the pollen in lilies can be dangerous to cats, so we advise keeping lilies out of the way of your feline friends.
Another problem with lily pollen is the fact the dust from it can go everywhere. To avoid this happening, as soon as the flower itself begins to open, remove the stamen from the flower. If done at this point it will not be dusty and so you wont get staining happening. If you are unable to get to the pollen quick enough and do end up with it on your clothes, carpet or other fabric, DO NOT try and rub it off. That will only make it stain even further. Instead take a piece of cellotape and gently dab it onto the pollen. This should remove it without staining. Occasionally there is a small piece of discolouration left, but as long as you have removed the main part and not rubbed this should come out in the wash.
Often gerberas will come wired for you, but even then they can still suffer from air locks and you will notice that although the stem has stayed straight, the flower petals themselves will droop. Except in certain circumstances we try not to wire gerbera as we like them to be as natural as possible, and if they are cared for properly they shouldn't need any help. They grow without the aid of wires naturally so should be able to continue without them.
Gerberas need very little water to stand in. Roughly 2" is plenty for them. Any more can cause the stems to rot, which result in them dying off earlier than they normally would. In the event that they do droop, as with roses, take them out of the vase they are in. carefully wrap the heads in newspaper so that they are upright. Trim the stems by 1cm and place into very hot water. Not boiling. You should then see air bubbles begin to rise. Once these bubbles stop, take the gerberas and place them back into cold, fresh water. Within a couple of hours they should be standing to attention again, and can be placed back into a vase and displayed as normal.
There are many different theories on how to keep tulips upright in a vase, but in the many years experience of our florists they have never found one that actually works. From lemonade, to adding a 2p piece to the water, we still find that tulips will grow just how they want to, when they want to.
However, what can be nicer than a vase of tulips, with the flowers all cascading over the sides of the vase? To us that is just how nature intended them to be. If you really do want them to stay upright like soldiers though, the easiest way is to wire them. You can do this by taking a medium gauge florist wire, and carefully thread it up into the tulips head for support, before gently twisting the wire back down the stem, making sure to hold the head upright as you do it.
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