Monday 15 February 2016

Savvy Student | Caring for Fresh Cut Flowers


Hey all you gorgeous dolls!

I am not a mushy person when it comes to showing affection, but what girl does not love to receive some beautiful fresh cut flowers for Valentine's day? In fact, the only thing I wanted for Valentine's day was a dozen creamy white locally grown long stemmed roses... YAAASSSSS 

Now that we have our beautiful bouquets of roses, carnations, tulips, and lillies and etc etc because there are so many beautiful flowers out there hehe, we want to keep them looking gorgeous as long as possible right? In fact, the reason why I love fresh cut flowers are because each time I walk past them, I cannot help myself, but smile. As well the fresh floral scent just lifts me up. They just make me happy! That is why, I try to grab fresh flowers every so often because they help brighten a stressful day for me. 

So how do you keep your gorgeous flowers looking amazing for as long as possible?

What I do know for certain is that shorter stemmed flowers will last longer! However, at the end of the day, a lot of it has to do on the type of flower you have and the specific species. For example, I found the white rose to last far longer then the lilac coloured roses I had for my Birthday Photo Shoot

As well, opt for locally grown flowers! Do not be afraid to ask your florist about which flowers in stock are grown locally. This is because flowers that are flown in from around the globe are generally traumatized as well, have already been cut a couple days prior to the local flowers. You will generally find the local flowers to last much longer. I have had locally grown white roses last upwards of 2 weeks, but the petals were smaller. But I was totally okay with that! 

Over the years, I have learned and picked up a few tips from florists. DISCLAIMER: I am by no means an expert! 

First thing first, keep your flowers in CLEAN water. Try to change the water every TWO day. But if you are lazy, try to change it when you see the water getting a little dirty, this includes fallen petals and leaves. This is because over time, those fallen petals are going to start decomposing and creating bacteria. A not so pleasant environment for flowers to thrive in. 

Use LUKE WARM water. When you use cold water, you shocking the flowers. Would you like it if someone dunked you into cold water? Also, not too hot water either. Flowers are sensitive :) 

Clip any new leaves and such that begin to grow on the stems. This is common for long stemmed roses. You want to be cutting off and cleaning the stems because again, those new leaves if they are under water, they are creating bacteria in the water. 

Keep your flowers in an area where they can get fresh air and sunlight. Places to really avoid are kitchens and bathrooms! I keep my flowers on the table by our front entrance. Plenty of sun there as well they get lots of fresh air with our front door being opened multiple times a day. As well since they are in an area that is not used much, no one will be knocking into the flowers. 

Flowers need FOOD! Most of the time, bouquets will come with flower food. However, it is generally only one packet and once you change the water, you have no more of the flower food to add in. A simple alternative is regular white sugar! Yup just sugar! Sugar gives the flowers glucose and allows them to photosynthesize energy from the sun! Just a small teaspoon mixed into luke warm water is perfect. 

Now my last suggestion is a little debated. It is trimming the stems. Some say to cut length wise up the stems, while others say just to chop a couple of centimetres off the bottom. Everyone has their own way of doing it. I personally just cut a couple of centimetres off the bottom every couple of days. This is to allow the flowers to soak up the food easier is what I have heard. 

I really hope this helped all of you and you can have your gorgeous Valentine's flowers looking breathtaking for weeks to come! Please do let me know in the comments below if you found this post helpful :) So I know that you guys like the Savvy Student Posts!

BYES

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