You did the hard work to grow your beautiful flowers, and now it’s time to bring them indoors. Here are five tips to keep your cut flowers fresh and beautiful for as long as possible.
Once your flowers have bloomed, you may choose to cut a few of your favorites and bring them inside your home to display in a gorgeous arrangement.
The challenge is to keep your flowers fresh and beautiful after they’ve been removed from your garden. Here are a five steps you can do to keep your blooms blooming indoors:
Trim the Stems
To ensure your flowers are getting enough water, use garden shears to cut the stems at a 45-degree angle at least two inches from the bottom. This helps increase the surface area to encourage greater water absorption. (If you don’t own garden shears, kitchen scissors are a good alternative.)
Prune the Leaves
While leaves on flowers add beauty and character, they can also be detrimental to the plant’s health, causing rot and bacterial growth if submerged underwater. Be sure to remove leaves from the stems before placing them in the water, and check back regularly to make sure dead leaves and petals haven’t fallen in.
Choose the Right Container
When selecting a vase, make sure it’s large enough to comfortably hold all the flowers you plan to add. This ensures sufficient room for air circulation and water absorption. You should also clean your vase beforehand to prevent harmful bacteria from growing in the water.
Provide Adequate Water
It’s no secret that plants need water, especially once they’ve been cut. Keep the flowers’ stems fully submerged, and refill your vase as needed. If your flowers seem extra thirsty even when the vase is full, a light misting simulates a humid environment where they can thrive. Keep the water clean to prevent contamination that might make your flowers sick. If you notice the water is getting cloudy or filled with debris, switch it out.
Give them Food
Ever notice that little packet of flower food that comes with the bouquet you buy from the store? Generally, this packet contains sugar for nourishment, citric acid to maintain a low pH level, and some type of antibacterial agent. You can preserve your flowers’ freshness by making a similar solution at home with a small amount of bleach or a clear spirit (like vodka or gin), superfine sugar or clear soda (one of the many lemon-lime varieties will suffice), and a vitamin C tablet.
Here at Chippewa Valley Growers, our plants are nourished with love and care to keep them hearty, healthy, and happy. This helps them thrive when growing in a garden or beautifying your home. If you have questions or if you’re ready to take home some bountiful blooms, come visit us at the greenhouse.
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