Tips to make Christmas flowers last longer

There’s no doubt that the days, or even weeks, leading up to Christmas are some of the busiest in the year. For this reason, and several others, many people prefer to do their Christmas shopping and decorating in advance. Leaving things to the last minute could mean that you don’t get everything you want or need. Many people choose to decorate their homes within the first week of December. Decorating with artificial plants and flowers can be done weeks in advance without a problem. When decorating with fresh flowers, you might want to have the order delivered about one week before Christmas. This way they will easily last until the New Year. You can also use these tips to ensure that you Christmas flowers stay fresher for longer.

Trim stems

Start by trimming each and every stem at a 45 degree angle. Do this with flowers and foliage. So that the surface area at the bottom of the stems is increased. This will allow each stem to absorb plenty of water and nutrients. You will need to trim your stems again after several days if you notice bacterial growth take hold around the base of the stem.

Remove leaves

While trimming the stems, you should remove any lower leaves at the same time. You don’t want any leaves inside the vase or under water. Not only will it make your bouquet look better but the less plant material you have in the vase water, the slower bacteria can develop.

Minimal water

When filling your vase, the best thing to do is to make sure that the bottom inch or two are covered but you don’t want to fill the vase to the brim. If you fill the vase, you will increase the amount of plant material that comes into contact with the water. The more plant material in the water, the faster bacteria will grow and the faster your flowers will perish. Of course, you will need to change and top up the water more regularly.

Add flower preservative

Flower preservative or flower food should be added to your vase water every time you change the water. You also need to pay attention to the amount of flower food that you need to add. The package will include instructions to make this easy. Apart from providing the flowers with important nutrients, this floral preservative also slows the rate of bacterial growth so you won’t need to change the water as often.

Avoid the elements

Since it’s cold outside, you have probably turn on the heat in your home and you might even have a roaring fire every evening. You should never place your fresh cut flowers anywhere near any sources of heat. You should also keep them away from extreme cold conditions. If you place your flowers near a window, for example, make sure that you don’t allow the flowers or foliage to come into direct contact with the window. Windows are really cold and this can cause damage to your flowers.

Remove dying plant material

As soon as you notice flowers or foliage start to wilt, you need to remove that stem from the bouquet. When flowers and leaves perish, they release a type of gas that speeds up the deterioration of the other flowers. Removing them fast helps keep your other flowers beautiful for longer.

By following these simple steps, it’s easy to get the most out of your Christmas flowers and every other bouquet you order.