Cut flowers make a beautiful statement to brighten any day, whether it’s a gift cut flowers, a quick thank you expression or a holiday table centerpiece.
Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk (Creative Commons-licensed content)
Selecting Your Cut Flowers
The most popular gift cut flowers are roses, the universal symbol of love, romance and beauty, especially the red rose. There is a large variety of rose types, and colors include shades of reds, pinks, purples, oranges, corals, peaches and whites.
Roses are grown throughout the world, but the Netherlands is the largest exporter. Roses have a vase life of 4-7 days. Select cut flowers for their appearance, shape, fragrance and color. Knowledge about the flower’s characteristics will be helpful.
Other popular cut flowers include:
- Iris – colors include bluish-purple, deep purple, lavender, white and yellow, some with yellow marks on the petals. Leaves are long, thin and pointed. Vase life: 2-5 days.
- Tulip – colors include white, yellow, pink, peach, orange, red, lavender, purple and bi-colors; single petal, double petals and fringed petals. Vase life: 1-7 days.
- Snapdragon – colors include pink, purple, lavender, white, yellow, orange and burgundy; flowers with floret clusters; tall single stems. Vase life: 5-10 days.
- Aster – colors including white, pink, hot pink, lavender, red, purple and white with yellow centers; daisy-like flowers that bloom as a spray; Vase life: 4-14 days.
- Gladiolus – colors including white, green, cream, yellow, buff, orange, salmon, pink, red, lavender, purple, blue and terra cotta; very tall stems with 6-8 florets per stem. Vase life: 7-10 days
Tips on Cut Flower Care
- Container Arrangements – make sure the container is full of water each day. If water is needed, add it to the foam or base of arrangement or pour into the top of the arrangement.
- Vase Arrangements – make sure the water is always clear. If the water is cloudy, replace it with fresh water and re-cut flower stems before putting them back into clear water. If the water is yellow, this indicates bacteria is growing in the water. Replace with clear water immediately.
- Boxed Arrangements – remove bottom leaves and cut the stems about 1/2”. Immediately place fresh flowers in clear water and add floral food to the water.
Cut Flower Care Dont’s
- Don’t place cut flowers in direct sunlight. Flowers will fade faster.
- Don’t place cut flowers in a draft. The air will wilt the blooms faster.
- Don’t place cut flowers on top of a television, air conditioner, heater or appliances.
- These things generate heat or cold which will wilt the blooms much faster.
Long Lasting Flowers
All flowers have a lifespan and once they are cut the lifespan can be shorter. When putting cut flowers in a vase, always cut about 1/2” off the base of the stems and add floral food to the fresh water. The flowers will last a lot longer and the water will stay cleaner. If you want to purchase long lasting flowers, do some research and check with your florist for the best flowers to buy.
