Country Garden Florals
Caring for Your Bouquet
When you take home your Country Garden Florals bouquet, a few important steps should be taken to ensure that your flowers will last as long as possible.
- As is often said in the cut flower world, "Keep your vases as clean as your teacups." Thoroughly wash your vases, and even swish with bleach. This will decrease the chance of bacterial growth, something which could quickly wilt an entire bouquet.
- To a half gallon of water, add two and a half teaspoons each of white vinegar and white sugar, and a half teaspoon of bleach. The sugar provides food, the vinegar acidifies the water, allowing the stems to draw more water, and the bleach kills bacteria.**
- Keep the bouquet out of direct sunlight and away from a draft. Cool rooms naturally increase a bouquet’s longevity, but not if it is being blasted by the arctic winds of an air conditioning vent.
- Certain blooms will fade before others. Remember, we are not limiting ourselves to "long lasting" florist favorites, like carnations! Our stems are cut from all of nature, and some share their beauty for a shorter duration. Just snip the faded blossoms without disturbing the bouquet, or if some stems are deteriorating, carefully remove them, and continue to enjoy your flowers!
- Other tricks to lengthen vase life include changing the water every couple days, or snipping an inch or more from the stems of wilting flowers and placing in fresh water.
** Exceptions: Do not add anything to the water of an edible bouquet. (Read Using Your Edible Flower Bouquet for more information.) Zinnia and sunflowers actually prefer plain water.