Flower Care - Tips

How can you get the most out of your beautiful blooms

  • Starting with fabulous, fresh flowers (you are half way there because they came from Valley Florist)
    then...
  • If you have an arrangement of flowers in a container, a box, basket or pot, it is simple just add the flower food we provide you into a glass with water & top up your flowers once a day.
  • For flowers that are not contained within their own vase or container get a sharp pair of secateurs or scissors & on a diagonal cut take approximately 2-3cms from the bottom of the stems. This enables greater surface area from which the flowers can drink. Most of the flowers from Valley Florist have been cut only a short time before delivery so this only needs to be done every 2nd day or so.
  • Now cut the strings that hold the flowers together & place flowers as they are into vase the spiralling of the flowers assists in the display of the flowers in the vase you don’t have to rearrange them.
  • Flowers & ethylene gas don’t mix. Ethylene gas comes from rotting leaves on stems, ripening fruit & motor vehicles. Therefore we would suggest stripping any foliage that will be below the water line & preferably don’t buy flowers from garages.
  • Use a clean vase for your flowers
  • Do not use metallic vases as they react detrimentally with fresh flowers

Ok the flowers are in the vase

  • Keep them as cool as possible, away from heaters & direct sunlight
  • Keep them away from ripening fruit & vegetables
  • Change the water every second day, removing any decaying leaves, wilted or dead flowers that have seen better days. Not a bad idea at this stage to give the vase a clean either.
  • Finally sit back & enjoy your beautiful blooms

The above will assist in maximising the vase life of your flowers.

Just another thought...

  • Iif you have liliums in your bouquet or arrangement as the blooms open pinch the stamens out of the flower with a tissue as they will stain.
  • If you brush these against your clothing do not rub it, get a strip of cello tape & ball it up & with rapid movement pat the area & it will come off

Other flowers tips

  • Birds of paradise are great value they will give you at least two heads of flowers as the first one dies of simply run your finger down into the head to encourage the second bloom out.
  • Tulips will follow the light & also continue to grow after being picked they love ice cold water.
  • Sunflowers & other woody stems flowers such as hydrangea & lavender respond well to being dunked up & down in boiling water for about 30 seconds after having their stems cut. Then simply place them back into cold water. Do this every time your recut stems if it goes beyond the boil mark
  • Roses are prone to air lock if they have been cut with blunt cutters or out of water for too long. It is a good habit to cut them under water but this is not always practical. So get them into water straight after cutting. If their heads droop simply cut their stems & wrap them tightly in paper & stand in water up to their heads for a couple of hours or totally submerse them in a laundry or bath tub for an hour or two once again after recutting with sharp clean cutters.
  • Gerberas... these days most florists will support wire gerberas as they just love to droop their heads & are a bit like roses. Treat them much the same as roses but the firm wrap in water to their heads is the best method here.



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Valley Florist & Gifts
104 Main Street
Lithgow NSW 2790
P: 02 6351 3251
E: info@valleyflorist.com.au