Common cut flower mistakes

While fresh flowers are extremely enchanting, many flower enthusiasts make mistakes that can quite easily be avoided. When choosing your next beautiful bouquet, make sure that you keep these tips in mind before approaching your florist.

Colour choice

There are a number of fantastic colour schemes out there and we can be tempted to go all out. Rather than trying to match several colours in a single bunch. Not only are multiple colours difficult to co-ordinate but they also prove difficult to match to your home décor. The best choice is to stick to a single main colour scheme or you can browse through a variety of options at your favourite online florist.

Dehydration

Flowers need water to survive – it’s as simple as that. After receiving your bouquet, you need to place it in water immediately. Even if you have not yet trimmed the stems, you need to make sure that they do not become dehydrated. As you trim the stems, you can place them back into the vase of your choice.

Incorrect cutting

When you trim the stems of your flowers, it’s important that you do so at an angle for optimum water absorption. You also need to use a sharp knife or pair of scissors. If you use a blunt object, you could end up crushing and shredding the base of the stems. This inhibits the absorption of water and will cause your flowers to wilt prematurely.

Incorrect stem length

When trimming the stems, you need to take into account the size of the vase. The taller the vase, the longer the stems should be. Shorter vases are best suited to hold short-stemmed flowers. Failing to do so will either make your arrangement top heavy or the flowers will disappear inside the vase.

Failing to trim the leaves

If you do not remove the leaves that end up below the water in the vase, it will increase the bacterial growth. This will result in the bouquet perishing far too soon.

Not adding floral preserve

Your florist will surely send a package of floral food along with your flower delivery. This package is to be used, and not simply tossed aside. Not only does the floral food help feed the flowers but it also inhibits the growth of bacteria in the vase water.

Poor placement and neglect

Placing your flowers in the sun, near a heater, near an air conditioner, or even in a windy spot is a sure way of causing them to lose their appeal sooner rather than later. Similarly, if you neglect your flowers and don’t replace the water, re-trim the stems, and remove dying plant material regularly, your flowers won’t last as long as they should.