Long Box Flower Care

Lead Floral Designer

The cleaner your vase, the lesser the bacteria and the longer your flowers bloom. Of course, you can also use a jar, a mug, a teapot or anything that you fancy.

Fill the vase with cold tap water. Too much water can speed the decay of the stems, and too little will hamper hydration. We suggest filling your vase up to two-thirds full.

Add flower food into the vase from the sachet. Flower food can increase your flower life up to 60%. This is because it contains all the nutrients that your flowers need. That said, remember to keep your flower food in a safe place and out of reach of babies, children and pets.

Cut approximately 2 cm off each stem at a slant (and repeat every few days). Flower stems will brown and decay which will hamper hydration. By snipping off the bottom few centimeters, your flowers are hydrated better and last longer.

Remove all the lower leaves of your flower stems. Make sure there are no leaves in the water because they decay much faster underwater. Decaying leaves will create bacteria that will spoil your flowers.

After you've trimmed the stems and pruned the leaves, arrange them in your filled vase however you like. Here's a pro tip: place taller stems at the back and the short ones at the front.

Place your flowers in a cool room or shaded area. Avoid direct air-conditioning, direct sunlight, extreme heat, dust and ripening fruit. All of these conditions may make your flowers wilt faster.

Change the water in your vase when the water becomes discoloured or murky. Dirty water will block the stems and hamper hydration. The water in your vase should always be crystal clear. Again, use cold tap water.

When a flower begins to wilt, remove the petals or the whole flower from the bouquet. Flowers bloom and wilt at different times. Removing wilted flowers will help to avoid the spread of bacteria to the other flowers.

Spray or spritz your flowers with clean tap water once a day to give it additional hydration. Flowers can absorb water from places other than the base of its stems. To do this right, use a bottle with a fine mist setting and spray from 6 inches to 1 foot away from the flowers to ensure an even coverage.