Keeping fresh flowers at their best

Steps to maintain freshness

1. Be sure the flowers you buy are really fresh. Choose flowers that are just starting to open. Avoid those that are wilting, or have yellowing leaves, slimy stems or shrivelled buds. Don’t buy flowers that have been standing in the sun or exposed to car fumes.
2. Pack flowers carefully before taking them home. Keep them cool — don’t leave them in a hot car!
3. Place flowers in a bucket of fresh clean water while you prepare the vase.
4. Use a clean vase (a dirty vase shortens the life of your flowers due to bacteria building up in the water). Fill it with clean water and add some floral preservative.
5. Remove any lower leaves that are likely to be below the water line.
6. Using a sharp knife or secateurs, cut off about 2 centimetres from the bottom of each stem.
7. Arrange the flowers in the vase.
8. Position your arrangement so that it is away from direct sun, heaters and draughts, and away from fruit and vegetables.
9. Top up the water every few days or, better still, replace it. Flowers with woody stems drink a lot of water.
10. Enjoy your flowers!

Floral preservatives

Most floral preservatives contain:

• an energy source (usually sugar);
• an acidifier to lower the pH of the water and to prevent the gums produced in the flower stem from blocking the stem (these stem blockages cause the flowers to wilt);
• a bactericide to kill microscopic bacteria and fungi, which can come from the dirt in the vase or may exist naturally on the stems. If not removed, they may cause stem blockage.

Floral preservatives are available commercially, or you can make your own. One recipe is as follows: