How to take care of your flowers

BOUQUETS

Taking care of your bouquets properly will make sure you will enjoy your flowers for longer. So here are a few tips when you receive a floral gift of how you can take care of your flowers.

  • Remove all packaging and wrapping from your flowers – they need to breathe.
  • Only remove the elastic or string from a hand-tied bouquet once you put the flowers are in the vase. Removing this will allow your stems to drink water more easily so we do recommend you remove it but make sure to do so carefully so as to retain the shape and design of the bouquet once its in the vase.
  • Give your flowers a fresh cut of approximately 3 cm at an angle with a sharp pair of scissors, from the base of each stem.
  • Be sure to remove any leaves that can be below the water in the vase – A good florist should have already cleaned the leaves themselves but if you buy lose flowers from street vendors this will not always be the case .
  • Make sure you use a clean vase
  • Any water that you use should be at room temperature.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of bleach to the water to keep it free from bacteria.
  • Keep your flowers away from direct sunlight, heat sources and ripening fruit – this will help your flowers last longer.
  • Give the stems a fresh cut every 2 days and change the water and add bleach. Top up the vase with water when necessary – as some flowers drink more water than others.

How to take care of your Flowers Arrangements

  • In an arrangements that arrives in a container the flowers have been pre arranged in an oasis block or with chicken wire so please do not remove stems as this will damage the stems.
  • Always check that the oasis block is moist. Add water into the container every 2 – in summer it might also need to be done daily – so as to make sure that the flowers always have water to drink.
  • When possible ask your florist to use chicken wire as the flowers will last longer if the structure is in chicken wire and fresh water vs floral foam.
  • Keep the arrangement in a cool place – away from any heat sources.

PLANTS

  • Most House plants should be kept in a fairly warm room with good light.
  • Avoid placing them in front of direct heat sources.
  • Most houseplants are killed by overwatering. Aim to keep the compost moist but wait until it has almost dried out before rewatering.
  • Use water at room temperature Water and place in a saucer underneath the plant – this will allow the plant to take as much water as it requires. After 2 -3 hours you can empty any excess water to avoid the roots rotting.
  • Most plants need more watering during spring and summer so keep an eye on your plant and do not over water over the winter months.
  • The majority of plants do not need feeding, however flowering plants do best when given a weekly dose of liquid feed.

NEW PLANTS

When a plants environment is changed – for example when relocating from a garden center to your home it will be stressed. This means it will need around month adjust to its new environment. So try to find a space for it and leave it there without moving it around too much. Remove any dying flowers or damaged or leaves

ORCHID PLANTS

Orchids are very easy plants to grow and maintain in a household setting. The most important factor for an orchid is having enough light. Orchid’s leaves are also very helpful in telling you whether the plant is getting enough light:

  • Light Green leaves – mean that the Orchid plant is happy and getting the perfect amount of light.
  • Yellowish leaves- it is getting too much light, we recommend you move the Orchid plant to a different area that has more shade.
  • Dark Green leaves – it is not getting enough light, so try to fid a spot for the plant where it can get more light.
  • Never leave an orchid in water as this will eventually cause the plant to rot and die.
  • The normal room temperature (25 C) of your home will generally be appropriate for an orchid. If you are comfortable in a temperature then the orchid will be too.
  • Interestingly orchids struggle to grow in soil So if you want to repot then use substances like moss or bark so they get both air and water.
two hearts

TULIPS

TheMaltaFlorist are extremely successful tulip growers and locally grown tulips are of extremely high qualitry.

To get the best from these beautiful blooms, here are a few pointers to help them brighten up your home.

  • Tulips like to be in cold weather – so use cold water or add ice to your water so they last longer.
  • Tulips will grow and bend towards the light and the flower will open and close depending on the amount of sunlight and heat so move your vase around to make sure they remain balanced
  • Tulip stems like a bit of support – place them in a vase that is at least half the height of the stems, like the one in the photo above, ensuring its not so narrow that it will crush them.

Next Story