How To Keep Cut Flowers Fresh
For girls who LOVE clothes as much as we do, we're surprisingly easy to please. Sure, picking the perfect outfit is important to us; but give us our BFFs, a flute of champagne (rosé works too), and some fresh blooms and we're happy as can be. Who could blame us though? We don't know one person who doesn't love the sight of a big, beautiful bouquet.
Whether they're from a secret admirer, your bestie, or from yourself to yourself, flowers make everything better. At VDV HQ we're pretty adamant about having fresh flowers around at all times. Even the simplest arrangement can make a massive impact on a space, especially one that's a blank canvas like ours. And while finding a five dollar bunch of blooms is an easy feat, keeping them looking alive for more than a few days is a totally different story. Or at least it used to be, until now. After too many instances of our flowers falling flat, we think we've finally found the secrets--here's how we keep cut flowers fresh.
Prep Your Vase
Before you fill your vase with water be sure to wash it with hot, soapy water to get rid of any bacteria that may be lingering. Dry it completely, then fill with lukewarm water (between 1/4-1/2 the way full). No need to be picky when it comes to the type of water, the majority of florists agree that straight from the tap is fine.
Trim & Strip
Most know that trimming about an inch off the bottoms of the stems (cut at an angle, too!) is important, but what a lot of people forget to do is to strip the leaves from the bottom half of the bouquet. Any leaves or offshoots that might fall below the waterline when placed in the vase should be removed--this will help to keep the water fresher, longer.
Don't Forget The Food
Some say that adding a penny or aspirin to the vase is key to keeping your flowers looking alive, but we disagree. The only thing you should add to the vase is the flower food that's included with your bouquet. Add the packet to your water and let it dissolve fully before inserting the flowers.
"Harden" Your Blooms
Once your flowers are in the vase, we recommend sticking the whole arrangement in your refrigerator for at least an hour or two. This is called "hardening"your flowers (more info on that here), and it allows for them to drink up a ton of water as quickly as possible.
Find The Perfect Place
After your flowers have chilled in the fridge for a bit, find a place to display them that's out of direct sunlight and away from heat. Even the smallest desk lamps can produce a ton of heat, so keep your blooms away from strong artificial light as well.
Refrigerate Overnight
Of all the tips, this is probably the most important. After a full day of admiring your flowers on your table or desk, it's time to stick them in the fridge for the night. There's a reason flower shops have those huge coolers--the cold temps keep cut flowers seriously fresh.
