Florist Series: How To Condition Flowers
We are continuing our floristry series on the blog this week by talking about conditioning. This is a really important process when it comes to looking after your flowers. If you buy a bunch of flowers from us, they will have a little label attached showing you how to care for your blooms. Our florist, Erin, talks us through the process and her top tips for helping your flowers last longer and getting the most out of your bunches.
What does conditioning mean?
Conditioning means preparing the cut flowers prior to its arrangement, to ensure that it has the longest vase life possible. Correct conditioning will ensure that flowers and foliage last for the maximum time, providing the most value and enjoyment.
Believe it or not, conditioning your flowers can be the make or break of your flower longevity. Whether you’re using flowers from your garden, buying them from us or the supermarket (no judgement here!), there are a few simple rules us gals at Bloom like to follow to ensure we get the best out of our blooms and for the longest time possible.
Keep cool! The placement of your flowers should be in a cooler spot and out of direct sunlight. Steer clear from radiators.
Fresh water! Warm (in cooler months) to room temperature water is very much appreciated by freshly cut flowers. If they start looking sad, it’s probably time to refresh your vase. We recommended refreshing every 3-4 days.
Clean stems! After harvesting or purchasing fresh flowers, strip the lower half of the stem of it’s greenery. If greenery comes into contact with water this can cultivate unwanted bacteria in your vase, best keeping those water level stems naked.
Chop your stems! Before placing fresh flowers into water, you should always give them a nice sharp cut at a 45 degree angle about 1 inch up the stem. When dunked into water this gives them the best chance at drinking up water. Over time the bottom of the stem will start to seal over - time for another cut! We recommend recutting after every vase refresh (so 3-4 days).
Once again, we would like to thank Alina Trifan for these beautiful photos that she snapped of us in the studio making up bunches. If you would like, you can buy our seasonal, Sheffield grown flowers from various places across the city or you can email us on bloomsheffieldflowers@gmail.com to chat about flowers for a special occasion.