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| Image courtesy of The Sweetest Occasion |
Whether from a secret admirer, your one true love, or blooms bought to spoil youself, Valentines Day flowers can be enjoyed for a few days more with these ideas in extending their lifespan.• Prepare a vase with tepid water and then stir in half of the floral food packet or use one of the flower food recipes listed below.
• Re-cut the bottom of the flowers and put them into the water.
• After three days, throw out the water, clean the vase with bleach and rinse well. Fill the vase with tepid water and more flower food. Re-cut the flowers before putting them in the vase.
For bouquets: Keep the flowers as cool as possible, Don’t put them near a heat source. But don’t put them in the refrigerator, because that will damage the flowers. A refrigerator is colder than the cooler in a floral shop.
Cut Flower Preservative Recipe #1 - 2 cups lemon-lime carbonated beverage (e.g., Sprite™ or 7-Up™)
- 1/2 teaspoon household chlorine bleach
- 2 cups warm water
Cut Flower Preservative Recipe #2 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon household chlorine bleach
- 1 quart warm water
Cut Flower Preservative Recipe #3 - 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon household chlorine bleach
- 1 quart warm water
More Tips - Trim away any foliage which would be below the water line. The wet leaves encourage microbial growth that can rot your flowers.
- Remove any unnecessary leaves because they will accelerate dehydration of the flowers.
- Flowers with milky latex-containing sap require special treatment. Examples of these flowers include poinsettia, heliotrope, hollyhock, euphorbia, and poppy. The sap is meant to prevent water loss by the stem, but in a cut flower it keeps the plant from absorbing water. You can prevent this problem by dipping the bottom tips (~1/2 inch) of the stems in boiling water for about 30 seconds or by flashing the tips of the stems with a lighter or other flame.
Hope these ideas help prolong the beauty of your valentines blooms and keep your hearts fluttering everytime you admirer them.
Sinikka xxx
