Simple ways to prolong the life of cut flowers

"Don't send me flowers when I'm dead. If you like me, send them while I'm alive. " ~Brian Clough

Needless to say, my boyfriend before and my husband now surely knows that. Why? Well, he is such a sweet guy who genuinely knows how to make me smile. Years ago, he even mentioned that we should have a big backyard because he wanted to grow roses or any flower of a kind so he can pick some every single day in the morning. Imagine how he still plans for that until now though I doubt if he can still manage to do that due to his work. Anyway, he's plan B is to be in charge of the kitchen every weekends so I can rest and he'll do the cooking instead. He is truly a sweet and loving person. See my post last Aug 2011 and 2012. And I do receive bouquets of flowers even before but the idea of taking care of them never entered my mind until he was the one who gave it. From then, I learned few tips which I wanted to share so you can also get to prolong the flowers from your significant other.

My bouquet for this year's valentines

This was given on the last quarter of 2013.

1. MIST-Given the hot weather here in the Philippines, condition the flowers by spraying them with water to revive and refreshen. It is important to keep them cool. Keep them away from any heat producing objects such as televisions, stove top and likes.

2. RECUT THE STEM- Re-cutting each stem rehydrates the flower heads and keeps them looking fresh. It is essential that the end should not be mushy as it will waterlogged and not able to absorb water properly causing the flower to droop faster and loosen the petals. You may use scissors or knife but be careful not to squish hardly while keeping an angle of 45 degrees.

3. REMOVE LEAVES-Cut off any leaves or any decaying part of the stem that will be submerge in the water. This can pollute water in the vase faster thus promoting bacterial growth.

4.  CLEAN VASE AND WATER. Good sized clean container filled with enough volume of water is way to go.

5. SUGAR, VINEGAR, SODA- 2 tablespoon of sugar + 2 tablespoon of apple cidar vinegar or 1/4 cup of soda on the water to make blossoms last longer by feeding them.

6. COIN-Drop a copper penny as this can help to prevent bacterial growth by acting as an acidifier to the water.

7. HAIR SPRAY- As useful as it is to hold your hair style, it can do the same with our flowers. Give a quick spray on the undersides of the flower and leaves from a foot away.

8. VODKA-Few drops of vodka may help to minimize bacterial growth and give nourishment.

9.  ASPIRIN-Crushed aspirin is an old but trusted clever way to maintain freshness of flowers.

10. CHECK WATER LEVEL AND CHANGE AS NECESSARY

Flowers are indeed a special gift. It should be taken care of aside from being appreciated and being displayed. The same way how you would want your special someone to take care of you and how you both try to maintain the relationship. 

xo,

Jannah

BTW, If in case you need flowers for your loved ones, here are my,or rather hubby's recommendations:

*Danny's Flower Shop
115, Don P. Campos Avenue, Barangay Zone IV, Dasmariñas City, 4114, Cavite (Near Andok's, Novo and GSP Money changer in Bayan) ; Phone:  (046) 416-3195

*Island Rose
G/F Tropical Palms Building, 103 Dela Rosa Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1229 ; Phone: (632) 816-3091 ; Fax: (632) 817-3263
http://www.islandrose.net.ph/