There’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 delivered, you can help them last much longer than they would otherwise.
Trick #1: Some florists will provide flower food in a small package that goes with the flowers. While adding this to the vase water will help a bit, I don’t think it works as well as my “bouquet cocktail” that I’ve developed over the years.
flower bouquet cocktail
- 1 spoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon Clorox bleach
- Mountain spring water
Put 1/2 cup of spring water in 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 mixture in it. Then for a tsp. blanch and gently stir into the water in a vase with a long, thin utensil.
Trick #2: This is related to the cutting of the stems. I set the vase on the edge of the counter first to make it easier to know the correct height and place to cut the flower stems. When you cut the stems, do so with a sharp knife and cut diagonally (allows more “cocktail” to enter the stem). I’ve been told that with roses in particular, it’s best to cut under running water. With all flowers, you need to put the freshly cut stem into the “cocktail” immediately. And, even if you really don’t want to change the height of a given stem, cut off the end of the stem as described here to make it easier for you to make the “cocktail”.
Trick #3: The final trick relates to saving the stems as they begin to fade. You really want to do this before the petals start to loosen up and fall off. This is something I do with beautiful, very intricate flowers that also tend to dry well.
You will need what I call vials of roses. They are the containers of water that are shaped like test tubes and have a flat rubber or plastic lid with a crisscross slit where the florist inserts a flower (typically a long rose) that is part of a bouquet that is 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 flower shop and purchase them.
I 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.
Then, 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 4-5 inch stem, using a diagonal cut. This is immediately placed in a vial that has been prepared.
Then each of these flowers is placed in a kind of retirement home. It can be in a wicker basket that has a few small pots of live, 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’ll be amazed at how beautiful these retirement arrangements can be!
Every 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!
On 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.
