Special care for exotic and tropical flowers
If you are looking for something beyond your usual carnations and roses, you will love the look of a tropical or exotic flower arrangement. By nature, these flowers have a way of drawing plenty of attention. The glorious colours and sheer size of these flowers make them perfect for fun party décor and even as a way of embracing the sunnier weather. Many people enjoy hosing Hawaiian themed parties, for example, which means that bright shades of yellow, orange, and pink are a must as well as fragrant tropical blooms.
If you would like to make your own tropical flower arrangement, you will simply need to order the right flowers and foliage. Ask your local florist about their current stock and if they are expecting the arrival of any other tropical blooms in the upcoming days or weeks. It’s also important that you understand how to properly care for these flowers so that they last as long as possible. If cut flowers of any sort encounter conditions that are not what they are used to or not what they prefer, they will most likely perish prematurely.
Once you have your selection of flowers, you should unpack them right away. Tropical flowers need a constant supply of fresh water and they don’t do well if they are out of the vase for too long. Place them in a bucket of fresh water before taking each stem – one at a time – and trimming the ends. You will need to trim about an inch off each stem and be sure to make your cut at an angel to allow for better water absorption. Use a sharp knife or pair of scissors so that you don’t cause any damage to the stems. If you crush the stems while cutting them, it will slow down absorption and this will cause the flowers to wilt sooner than they should.
When each stem is trimmed, you will need to place them in fresh clean water in a vase. If you have any Oncidium Orchid Sprays, Anthuriums, or Dendrobium orchids, they should be placed in cool water for about 15 minutes before adding them to the vase. Ginger flowers should be fully submerged in cool water for about 15 minutes.
No matter what, other essential rules that you will need to make sure that you keep these flowers out of direct sunlight, wind, and away from any source of heat or air conditioner. Any of these factors can take a serious toll on your flowers and cause them to wilt or lose their petals. There are also a number of exotic flowers that enjoy some gentle misting. Orchid sprays do not like misting so make sure that you ask your florist about each flower in the bouquet before you mist the whole bunch.
The vase water will need to be changed regularly and don’t forget to add flower food to the water when you do. Monitor the stems and, if you notice some slimey build up on the bottoms of the stems, you should give them a trim before placing them back in the vase.