Blooming Betties works really hard to chose the most beautiful cultivars with naturally long vase lives but there are many things you can do to care for your cut flowers to extend their beauty in your home. Here are ten things to try:
- Keep your flowers in water. This seems simple enough but some flowers drink more water than others and that results in the water level in the vase reduced. I can’t count the number of times I’ve wondered what in the world was going on with a stem or two crashing to find that the water level had lowered and they were no longer in the water.
- Use a clean vessel to display your flowers. Flower life is dramatically reduced by bacteria in the water. Be sure that the vase you use to display flowers is clean enough to drink out of.
- Keep the water clean. If you don’t want to drink the water, your flowers don’t either. By changing the water every 2-3 days you’ll keep that bacterial out.
- Feed your flowers. Your Blooming Betties come with flower food in the vase, but using that little packet of flower food when you change the water does make a dramatic difference. Flower food is usually composed of a bacteria fighting substance as well as sugar to keep those buds developing and can extend the vase life by up to 60%.
- Keep your flowers cool. By keeping them in a cooler location, like an air conditioned room
- Keep your flowers away from ripening fruit. It releases a gas, ethylene, that actually makes flowers fade faster. Crazy!
- Deadhead your arrangements. Flower farmer try to pick flowers before they actually bloom to maximize vase time. Many types of flowers have buds that will just keep on opening as others on the same stem fade. Cut or break off blossoms as they fade and let the next do it’s thing.
- Chose flowers with a naturally long vase life. Flowers all have different life spans. Some naturally last longer than others so understanding which flowers last longer will get you the best bang for your buck. Some greenery will actually start to root in the vase, while as much as we love lilacs and roses, their vase life just isn’t the best.
- Communicate with your florist to find your favorites. At Blooming Betties, many of the flowers we grow are chosen for a particular reason. They are either stunners like dahlias, fragrant like sweet peas, or long lasting like zinnias. By communicating what you love most, they can help you find flowers that will knock your socks off time after time.
- Shop for locally grown, seasonal flowers. Blooming Betties are cut fresh on our farm, conditioned, and designed within 24 hours of reaching you. Over 85% of the flowers sold in the US are imported which drives up price because of shipping and means your flowers are sometimes a week or older by the time they reach the consumer.
Our intention is that you get a solid 5-7 days (hopefully LONGER) out of your blooms and hope you find these tips helpful! Enjoy your flowers!
