Flower Care - Fresh Cut Flowers and Roses
Unpack your flowers immediately. Add one packet of flower food to your clean, non-metallic container, and fill the vase at least a pint of room temperature water.
Prepare the Flowers
Remove any leaves that will be submerged below the water in the vase. Foliage in the water promotes bacteria growth which shortens vase life. Hold stems under lukewarm water in a sink, basin, or under running water, and diagonally cut 1 to 1 1/2 inches off the bottom of each stem using scissors or a sharp knife. If cut out of water, air can enter through the stem which prevents water from reaching the flower. The diagonally cut enables the flower to "drink" more.
If you are preparing roses, remove the outer "guard" petals that are purposely left on the outer edge of each rose to cushion the flower during shipping. They may be bruised, discolored or torn. If so, carefully remove these petals to expose new fresh petals
After cutting each stem, place them in the prepared vase of water with flower food. Place flowers loosely, yet evenly spaced in a vase. Individual stems of filler flowers and greens can be cut in pieces and placed among them. Make sure the stem ends are in the water.
Display flowers away from direct sunlight, drafts, or heat. Add water as needed to maintain the water level. Avoid the air flow from air-conditioning or heating vents, as well as the top of a television set, to achieve maximum vase life. Refresh your flowers every other day by recutting the stems underwater and replenishing the water to its original level.
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About the CRFA
