There’s nothing quite so lovely as receiving flowers.
But when they start to wilt just a couple of days later, a slow disappointment might creep in every time you glance over.
Particularly now in the summer, the heat can speed up this process and make your flower look limp before you’ve had the time to enjoy them.
Though no longer a growing plant, there are ways you can keep a bouquet thriving for a little longer than usual.
Holly Clemett, founder of London based creative floral company Pollenet, says there are certain tips any flower fan should know to extend their blooms.
Trimming the stems
The very first thing you do on receiving the flowers will affect them for days to come.
Holly says you should trim the stems as a 45 degree angle for the best chance of keeping them healthy.
‘Trimming at an angle means there is a bigger surface area for the flower to soak up the water,’ she explains.
The other thing to know is that stems can close up over a number of days, which can cause them to wilt prematurely.
Holly says: ‘Flower stems can close up slightly over time meaning your flowers can’t drink as much water as they may need to in order to last as long as possible.
‘Re-trimming the stems every couple of days will allow them to drink up more water and last longer.’
Getting the water right
To begin with, you should put your flowers in a clean vase with fresh water that’s room temperature – you want to avoid extremes as this will upset the flowers.
After that, Holly says it’s worth the added labour of ‘replacing the water everyday if you can to keep it as fresh as possible’.
If every day doesn’t seem like something you’ll do, aim for once every three days or when you notice the water looking less clean.
Cutting the leaves
When preparing the flowers for the vase, make sure you trim away all foliage that will sit below the water.
Holly says: ‘Ensure that there’s no flowers or leaves below the waterline.
‘Anything under the waterline will rot and in turn could cause your flowers to die prematurely.’
Lazily chucking them into a vase in a hurry will cost you.
Avoid direct sunlight
Just as flowers like room temperature water, the same goes for where they’re placed.
Anything too hot will disturb them.
‘Keep your flowers in a cool, dry spot, out of direct sunlight and away from any source of heat.
‘Flowers are pretty sensitive and hate extremes – nowhere too hot or too cold,’ Holly says.
They might look pretty by a window, but make sure they’re shielded in some way from the direct sun to keep them blooming for longer.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/24/how-to-make-your-flowers-last-longer-in-the-hot-weather-14976943/
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