Buying Flowers: Top Tips for Choosing and Caring for Your Fresh Bought Blossoms

 

If you’re not a pro-florist, arranging flowers can sure be tricky. From picking beautiful blooms that really tie a room together, or trying to figure out which pre-packaged arrangement looks the least sad if you’re not versed in flower care.

Fear not, here are a few tips to help you pick out a lovely bouquet by yourself, as well as keep your blooms looking their best.

 

Choosing Flowers

♥ Don’t go overboard with the colors — Choose no more than 2-3 colors when arranging your own bouquet. Like most elements of design, keeping things simple when it comes to your flower arrangement will say more than if you try to grab a little bit of everything in the flower shop. Trust us.

♥ Don’t always hit the bargain bin — Look flowers that are on sale are typically there for a reason, and that reason is, their nearing the end of their cut lifespan. If you want your flowers to last up to a week, fresh is always best.

♥ If you are on a budget, think big — Big flowers take up more room in a bouquet than smaller ones, so you may be able to save a bit by purchasing less of them. Fill up the space with some smaller, more affordable flowers, and you’ve got a solid bouquet.

 

What to Do When You Get Them Home

Whether you’ve picked out a variety of blossoms or someone delivered a sweet surprise to your door, for best results, you’ll want to immediately transfer your flowers a vase containing lukewarm water. The reason warm beats cold is, warm water molecules move more quickly than their cold counterparts, meaning they’ll deliver nutrients more quickly to the stems.

You’ll likely need to adjust the height of your stems when you get home, too. For best results, cut away any extra leaves you don’t love, and then move onto the stems. Do an initial cut a bit longer than where you want the final height to be, and once you’ve determined if it’s right, go in for a second snip.

Third, consider using the food offered at the florist, or one of these home remedies for keeping flowers fresh. Plain water is fine, but petals will start to drop after a few days without intervention.

 

Keeping Flowers Fresh for the Long Haul

Once you’ve gotten your flowers situated, the work is far from over. Sure, you could leave them be, but you want your flowers to last as long as possible, right? Here’s a couple tips to stretch out that lifespan.

One thing that should be noted is, you’ll want to change your water often. Unfortunately, if you’re not careful, harmful bacteria can take up residence inside dirty vase water. Be sure to empty out your vase, and wash thoroughly with soap and water. The clean water will keep any bugs at bay.

You’ll also want to prune periodically. As the week progresses, your flowers will change. Regularly trim off parts that don’t look so fresh, to keep your bouquet looking its best.