Flower Care

Caring for your floral gift

On average, your flowers will last 4 days to a week depending on the type of flowers and how well you look after them.  We have included a few simple tricks to help you get the maximum life out of your gift.

There are only 3 secrets to looking after your flowers.

1     Fresh water

2     Clean vase

3     Cut the bottom of their stems regularly

Follow these rules and you will give your flowers every opportunity to provide you with beautiful blooms as long as possible.  Fresh water contains enough nutrients to sustain the flowers. If your vase is clean; it’s free of bacteria and disease that has the potential to lessen the life of your blooms. By regularly cutting a few centimetres from the bottom of the stem, you are providing the flower with fresh cells to drink the fresh water you have in the vase, or container. The stems of your flowers will start to decay in the water, which is a totally normal process, but also means the stem can’t keep the flower hydrated, so they will wilt and die prematurely.

When Your Flowers Arrive

 Choose a vessel that is comfortable to the size of the arrangement and doesn’t overcrowd the flowers. Make sure the vessel you choose to put your flowers in is rinsed, cleaned and has no bacterial contamination, fill to about 1/3 to half full with fresh water

Remove packaging and trim any foliage, like leaf matter, that will be below the water level.  This is to prevent the foliage from decaying and causing bacteria to grow.  There is no need to cut the tie keeping the flowers together; this will help you change the water more easily. Cut a few centimetres from each stem, at an angle to give the stem a broader area to intake water to ensure hydration. This is a crucial step, if not cut at a slight angle, the stem will sit flat on the bottom of the vase, sealing itself from absorbing water.

For best results, use a sharp knife or secateurs and not scissors to cut your flowers because they can crush the stems and prevent water absorption.

 Some flowers come arranged, inserted in a container that has a brick of floral foam inside and is damp and filled with water.  In this case, all you need to do is top up with water every few days to keep your blooms hydrated. 

To enjoy your flowers and get the maximum life from them, avoid placing them in direct sunlight, heat, on top of appliances such as heaters, fireplace as they can precipitately wilt in cut flowers. Further to avoid wilting, make sure you place them away from fruits as some fruits discharge ethylene gas which can prematurely age flowers. Choose a nice cool spot, away from direct sunlight, heating, and cooling and not directly under ceiling fans.

Maintaining Your Flowers

As some flowers will last longer than others, every 2-3 days carefully remove any dead flowers, wilting leaves or faded foliage as you see them in order to keep the rest of the flowers healthy. 

Regularly check the water and change after a few days or when it begins to look cloudy. Scrub the inside of your vessel with a splash of bleach and a little liquid soap, rinse well and add fresh water and finally add your blooms.

Repeat this process every few days.

If your flowers have been delivered in a floral foam box, and after a few days some blooms may appear tired, or dead; don’t be afraid to separate the more alive blooms, give their stems a really good trim, and place in a small vase. You will be able to continue to enjoy their beauty for a few more days.

Lilies and roses are among the most popular of all our flowers we deliver, so we have included a few points specific to these.

Caring For Lilies

Lilies are commonly delivered in bud form as their petals are very easily bruised. By being delivered in this fresh bud form, it will also give the bouquet or arrangement a much longer life span.

Disclaimer: Lilies can be toxic to cats. So make sure they’re out of reach of your pets.

Caring For Roses

Roses may be delivered with the outer petals, still attached; they are purposely left on by the florist to protect the rose in transit. 

Roses are highly sensitive to bacteria so it’s important to place them in clean vases with fresh water regularly. They also last longer in cool temperatures with indirect sunlight. If your roses start to droop at the head or wilt, you can revive them by re-cutting an inch of the stem and plunging them into a water bath for a few minutes.  A rose's stem should always be cut while being submerged in water. This stops air bubbles from forming in the stem. 

Following these simple steps will give you maximum enjoyment time from your flowers! If you have any further questions about your flowers, please don’t hesitate to call us or visit our store.