Practical Tips On Caring For Your Flower

By: Jim Brown

Flowers can uplift our spirits and enliven any dampened spirit. They can bring a smile to any sad face and can definitely symbolize or express one's love for another. The presence of flowers not only brightens and adds color to a room but it also conveys strong feelings of emotion. Flowers make impressive gifts for any occasion whether it is Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, a birthday, anniversary or even if there is no particular occasion.

You may be a recipient of a bouquet of flowers and as you appreciate the thoughtful gesture as well as enjoy its beautiful sight, you want the flowers to last longer. If the flowers were purchased somewhere else and was basically shipped and delivered to you, it is very important that someone will be able to wait for it when it will be delivered. If the delivered flowers were made to wait on the porch or mail under the scorching heat of the sun all afternoon until someone comes home at around 5 or 6 pm, you have already taken days off their lifespan as most flowers are shipped without water to sustain them.

There are actually several tips to help cut flowers thrive and to extend their shelf life. If the cut flowers have been out of water even for just any time length, submerge them first for about 30 minutes in a bath before putting them in a vase. Cut off about 3 or 4 inches from the stem and place them in a vase of clean water. Ensure that the vase is clean and the water inside the vase is clean. The vase should have enough water to enable the flowers to hydrate themselves. Mist them with the use of a spray bottle around two times a day. Change the water in the vase every 2nd or 3rd day and trim the ends of the stem.

If you happen to have flowers that are starting to wilt, you can actually revive them with a warm bath. You start by filling a sink or any container for that matter with warm water. Make sure that the water's temperature should be about the same as a relaxing hot bath. Anything hotter will shock your flowers and will end up killing them. Remove the flowers from the vase or the flower foam and submerge them fully into the warm water. Use a sharp knife to groom once again the stems by cutting diagonally of about an inch from the stem's end. Allow the flowers to soak for about 5 minutes to half an hour. Check the flower's firmness and if they have been rehydrated you can return them to their vases or flower foam. Of course this technique will not work if the flower has lived passed its vase life.