If like me, you are a fan of having fresh flowers in your house you may be interested to know that there are some ways that you can help to maintain the health of the flowers in your vase or arrangement so that the blooms last for as long as possible. It is one of the reasons that I like to get my flowers from Florist Gloucestershire company flowershedtewkesbury.co.uk/ as you can be sure that they have cared for the flowers during the time they have been in the florists and they are also able to give some hints and tips for making the most from your flowers.

Here are a few hints and tips that I have picked up over the last few years.

When you get your flowers home it is important that you cut them to fit the height of the vase and then cut the stems at an angle. This helps to prevent the stem from sticking to the bottom of the vase and hindering the absorption of water up through the bottom of the stem. The angle of the cut also increases the surface are that is available to absorb water through.

Stripping off any leaves and flowers that will find themselves below the level of the water in the vase helps to keep your water fresh. This is because leaves under the water level will start to decay and in turn become slimy, sticky and eventually smell really bad. This then starts to affect the quality of the water the plants are receiving and will affect the longevity of the flowers.

Stay away from the cold water

This is one that I learnt relatively late on. Cold water actually causes air bubbles to be created in the stems of the plants and this then blocks their ability to able to absorb water, meaning that their lifespan can be reduced. If you use tepid water this does not occur, and your flowers will last longer. If you add a teaspoon of sugar to the water this can also help your flowers to be nourished. There is an exception to this rule and that is any spring bulb-based flowers as tulips and daffodils always prefer to be placed in cold water.

Keep your fruit and flowers separately

Have you ever noticed how placing bananas to near to other fruit can cause them to decay quicker? Well the same is true for placing cut flowers to near to a bowl of fruit. This occurs due to the presence of ethylene in the fruit that cause the premature decaying of your flowers.