How to take care of your flowers so they will last.

Every flower has an expected life. Some flowers may last a fleeting single day like iris, and some can look good for a week or more such as the heartier mums or protea and birds of paradise. Roses, taken care of can last 4 days easily and often much more.

Scroll down for Very important Rose Tips -

Two things to notice when you get your flowers.

1 - Are they in a vase and in water? or

2 - Are they in florists foam also called oasis? Discussed below is information for flowers in water.

The simplest and most important things to do for your flowers -

1- Never use salted “softened” water with any cut flowers. The salt will kill them.

2 - Keep your flowers out of direct sunlight. The sunlight will dry them out.

3 - Make sure the container is full of fresh water. It is easy in most cases to put your arrangement in the kitchen sink, and allow warm to the touch - (yes! warm water - like for a babies tub) to flow and flush old water out of the bowl and replace it with fresh water.

4 - If you can go the extra mile you will really get the benefits - Every two days, cut the bottoms of the flowers. For roses use a knife - not a scissors or shears which squeezes the stem shut -and replace the flowers immediately in fresh water. Remove anything that has gone past looking good. It’s bound to happen even with the freshest of flowers. Only stems go below the water line, pinch off any leaves to avoid them being submerged.

Additional notes on how to cut the stems - every flower seems to flourish when they get the care they need. For mums - snap the stems. Lilac and stock need to be cut and bruised to expose the woody fibers to the water. This seems to be a lot of work for what it gives back in terms of extended life of the bloom. With stock especially - keeping the water fresh even daily really works well.

Trouble shoot and your flowers will thrive

1 - Murky or yellowish water. Change that water and cut the stems.

2 - Roses are drooping at the head - cut the stem shorter and replace in fresh water. The drooping head suggests the stem is no longer drinking water. You can cut and preform rose-CPR by laying the roses down  - in warm water - in the sink. Submerge them to revive them. Roses will drink from every pore. This could take a few hours but worth the time and loving care.

3 - The petals are looking dried out and curling up. Perhaps there is sunlight hitting them in a time of day you rarely see. Unfortunately, there is no remedy for these flowers. Be more alert to sunlight next time.

If your arrangement is in oasis - water by flowing water into the top of the arrangement every day. Be careful not to overflow. It’s always recommended to add water to your container in a wet area like the kitchen that won’t be spoiled with a little escaped water. Water need not collect in the bottom of the container but if it is, that is a signal that the oasis is saturated with water. The oasis needs to be thoroughly wet to let the flowers drink. Or as the arrangement gets older you can pull the flowers that are heartier, refresh the cut - and rather than replace them in the oasis, put them in a vase or jar you already have. See ideas below. ** Make a packet of flower food we give you - one half packet to a cup of water and water your oasis flower arrangement with this mix.

Container ideas and cutting tips. You can to disassemble your flower arrangement one flower at a time, discarding flowers that are old and cutting down and keeping ones that still look nice. Cutting the stems, makes the flower - well,  shorter - and you may want a smaller container. Keep in mind you want to have the stem 1/2 covered by water and stripping any leaves away that might be under water. Use several small containers and either group those together or put in different locations to continue enjoy your flowers. Arranging or rearranging your flowers is fun and a great opportunity to look at them closely and enjoy them in a different way.

One of  my favorite things to do with the last of the flowers from your arrangement that really keeps them around for an extra day or two is to cut them just below the head and float them in a bowl. This is great with roses, mums, even asters. A low soup bowl can be delightful on a table or a teacup on a side table or dresser. Be inventive with the fun containers, decorative jars, dinnerware or crystal you have stashed it the back of the cupboard.

Keep all cut flowers out of direct sunlight. Rose bushes may love it but the heat is too intense for cut flowers.

If you have any questions about the care of your flowers, give us a call! 928 284-2331