Flower Care

After receiving or purchasing a stunning bouquet of flowers, you will want to make sure that you do everything possible to maintain their longevity.  In maximizing the longevity of your flowers, you also maximize the amount of time you can enjoy their beauty.  What's more, flower care is relatively simple; overall flower care is far from complicated and involves some fairly simple steps that anyone can implement.  Finally, by providing adequate flower care, you will take full advantage of the time that you can enjoy them!
           
Upon receiving your floral arrangement, you will want to take a look to see if there are any special instructions included either in the arrangements packaging or attached to the flowers themselves.  This is a crucial step in flower care; florists frequently include special instructions that specifically pertain to the type of flowers provided in your floral arrangement. By following the instructions provided by the florist, you are ensuring proper flower care and thereby prolonging their life.

Along with any instructions that a florist may include with your floral arrangement, you will also frequently find a small packet or two of flower food.  In order to maintain adequate flower care, it is imperative that, not only do you use the flower food for your arrangement, but that you follow the instructions provided on the back of the food packet to the letter!  If you do not add the appropriate amount of water to the flower food mix, the flower food may not help your flowers at all, or worse they will shorten the life of your arrangement.

Now, you will want to select a vase or similar container to place your flowers in.  To provide adequate flower care, you will want use a vase that provides enough room for the entire arrangement.  In regard to flower care, this step cannot be stressed enough! Finding a container that is the proper size is just as important as any other measure you may take to maintain the beauty of your flowers.

In terms of container size, a vase that is too large for your bouquet can subtract from the overall appeal of the arrangement. Conversely, a vase or container that is too small may cause you to accidentally break the stems of the flowers or some of the flowers may not receive an adequate amount of water.  Finally, if you do not have a vase or container big enough for your floral arrangement, you may want to consider placing the arrangement into two separate containers.

After you have chosen a vase, you should fill the container with the amount of water specified on the back of the floral food packet.  After placing the water in the vase, you will want to add the flower food. Again, to ensure proper flower care, be sure that you have carefully read the instructions provided on the floral food packet; a mixture that is too heavily based with flower food or a mixture that is over diluted will not serve to feed your arrangement properly.

When the proper floral food solution has been created, you will want to begin taking each individual flower in your arrangement and begin trimming off approximately 1 inch of the bottommost part of their stems.  Trimming can be done with a sharp knife or a good pair of scissors and should be done at an angle.  Once you have trimmed each of the flowers you can begin to arrange them in the vase or container; again, be sure to provide adequate room for all of your flowers.

You will want to take several extra steps to ensure sufficient flower care.  First, you will want to check the level of water in the container that holds your arrangement daily and then add water as needed.  Secondly, you will want to trim the stems again every couple of days.  Finally, to maintain sufficient flower care, you should be careful about where you place your flowers; keep your flowers away from heat generating appliances, areas that have inadequate sunlight and areas that are either to dry or cool.

Finally, flowers are meant to enhance your life and surroundings. With the implementation of a few simple preventive measures, you can make certain that you provide excellent flower care to your new and any future floral arrangement you might receive.  As a result, you will be able to derive great pleasure from their care!

For more great flower care advice, see the fresh cut rose care tips at Send 1 Rose Fresh Cut Rose Care.