How to Care for Your Fresh Cut Flowers in 5 Easy Steps

There is nothing like a bouquet of fresh flowers to brighten up a room – and your day! It’s been exciting for us to offer farm-fresh flowers to our deliveries over the last year. Most mixed bouquets will fit in a quart-sized mason jar, or separated into two arrangements to fit into two pint-sized mason jars. To enjoy your flowers for as many days of gorgeousness as possible, follow these 5 easy steps.

STEP ONE – PREPARE VASE OR CONTAINER

Choose the best vessel for your arrangement. The height of the flowers should be in proportion to the size of the container. The flowers should not exceed one and a half times the height of the container. You also don’t want to overcrowd the flowers in the container either.

Clean your container with hot soapy water to kill any microorganisms that can cause slimy water and dead flowers. Fill your vase with clean, lukewarm water. Lukewarm water works best because it will travel up the stem of the flowers quicker than cold water would.

STEP TWO – QUICK TRIM TO THE STEMS

You’ll want to give them a quick trim (about 1 to 4 inches off the stems) and get them into water as soon as possible – before you even think about arranging them. First, hold your arrangement next to the vase and compare the height of your arrangement with the height of your container so you know where to trim.

STEP THREE – ARRANGE THE FLOWERS

To get your flowers ready for the vase you’ll want to arrange them first. We suggest you view the flowers from eye level (not from above) and turn the flowers occasionally to view from all angles while you prepare them for your final vase.

Distribute color, sizes and texture evenly. Pull taller, accent flowers to the center and arrange smaller flowers and filler around the perimeter. Be sure there is fullness and color on every side.

STEP FOUR – TRIM AGAIN
Once you have the flowers arranged to your liking, you’ll want to re-trim each stem to the correct height to fit in the vase.

The tool you use to trim your stems is important. We recommend that you do not use ordinary household scissors as they may crush their vascular system and prevent proper water intake. The best tool is a clean, sharp knife or garden shears.

Trim the stems at a 45 degree angle in a bowl or under running water. Cutting at an angle provides more surface area for the uptake of water and it also creates a point for the stems to stand on, allowing for more water to be in contact with the cut surface. Cutting underwater prevents unwanted air from entering the stems and preventing a steady flow of water to feed the flower.

*NOTE – You’ll want to get the flowers into water right away, so limit the amount of time the newly trimmed flowers stay out of water before your final bouquet is finished.

Trim each stem to the correct height – leaving them a little higher than you would want to allow for wiggle room and continued trimming throughout the week.

Before placing in the vase, remove any wilted petals or leaves as well as any greenery from the stems that will be below the water line. This will help the healthy flowers to get more water as well as keep the water more clear.

STEP FIVE – PLACE IN WATER AND DISPLAY

Place your arrangement into your vase and display in a cool spot, away from drafts, direct sunlight, heat and ripening fruit.

ONGOING CARE

Discard any wilted or browning blooms or leaves. We advise you change the water and trim a bit more from the ends of your stems at least every other day to allow flowers to receive a steady flow of clean water. After a few days flowers may benefit from a light misting each day.