Website design By BotEap.comThere’s nothing worse than paying the bill for some beautiful flowers only to find out they didn’t last long. If the flowers are very fresh when they are delivered, you can help them last much longer than they would otherwise.
Website design By BotEap.comTrick #1: Some florists will provide flower food in a small package that accompanies the flowers. While adding this to the water in the vase will help a bit, I don’t think it works as well as my “bouquet cocktail” that I’ve developed over the years.
Website design By BotEap.comflower bouquet cocktail
- 1 spoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon Clorox bleach
- Mountain spring water
Website design By BotEap.comPut 1/2 cup of spring water into a Pyrex (glass) measuring cup. Microwave on high for 30 to 60 seconds (until hot). Add the sugar and mix until completely dissolved. For spring water directly into a clean vase. For the water mix in it. Then for a tsp. blanch and stir gently in the water in a vase with a long, thin utensil.
Website design By BotEap.comTrick #2: This is related to cutting the stems. I place the vase on the edge of the counter first so it’s easier to know the correct height and place to cut the flower stems. When cutting the stems, do so with a sharp knife and cut diagonally (allows more “cocktail” to get into the stem). I’ve been told that with roses in particular, it’s best to do the cutting under running water. With all the flowers, you need to put the freshly cut stem into the “cocktail” immediately. And, even if you don’t really want to change the height of a given stem, cut the end of it as described here to make it easier for you to make the “cocktail.”
Website design By BotEap.comTrick #3: The final trick relates to saving the stems as they start to fade.
You really want to do this before the petals start to become loose and droop. This is something I do with beautiful, very intricate flowers that also tend to dry well.
Website design By BotEap.comYou will need what I call vials of roses. They are the water containers that are shaped like test tubes and have a flat rubber or plastic lid with a crisscross indentation where the florist inserts a flower (typically a long rose) that is part of a bouquet being prepared for a box. . delivery. I save these vials every time I receive roses this way. You can also go to a craft store or possibly a florist and buy them.
Website design By BotEap.comI determine the number of possible flowers that can be harvested in advance and prepare the vials by pouring “cocktail” into them, up to the top. I set them aside in a coffee mug on the kitchen counter.
Website design By BotEap.comThen, every morning and evening (and evening, if I’m home), I look for flowers that are “ready.” For each one, I take it from the vase and cut it into a 4- to 5-inch stem, with a diagonal cut. This is immediately placed in a vial that has been prepared.
Website design By BotEap.comThen each of these flowers is placed in a sort of retirement home. It can be in a wicker basket that has a few small pots with live and leafy plants or perhaps in a ceramic container that is very suitable for flowers of this height.
This is where your creativity can really come into play! What do you have to make these flowers (which often still have a lot of color) look beautiful? I honestly have a lot of fun doing this. You will be amazed at how beautiful these retirement arrangements can be!
Website design By BotEap.comEvery day for a week or so, you will be migrating these flowers to their new home. It’s not unusual for this new arrangement to look good for many more weeks! If the drying process works especially well (and the slowly disappearing cocktail in the vials really helps), you might want to keep one of these arrangements indefinitely!
Website design By BotEap.comOn the other hand, if you’re not fully committed to sending flowers as a gift, there are always other gift alternatives you can consider that have permanent staying power right from the start.
