Flowers and Arrangements

How to enjoy long-lasting cut flowers: Remove your flowers from their box. If the stems appear stressed – this is not unusual with tulips, lisianthus, and other less rigid stems – leave the wrapping on the flowers and place them upright in a container of lukewarm water for an hour or so. Once they’ve regained their strength, you can remove the wrapping and sleeve and arrange the flowers.

Add floral preservative to the vase. We enclose packets of floral preservative to help your flowers last even longer. Sprinkle one packet's contents into the vase, then fill the vase with fresh, lukewarm water. Now it's ready for your fresh-cut flowers! Remove the lower leaves on the stems (leaves that will be under water once the flowers are in a vase). Leaves below the water in the vase will invite harmful bacteria formation.

Cut the stem ends. While holding the stems under water, cut off about an inch at the end of each stem; cut on the diagonal. Use a sharp pair of pruners. Avoid using scissors – they can crush the stem rather than making a clean cut. Protect your flowers. Keep your fresh flowers out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources, such as forced air furnace vents or fireplaces. Cool temperatures lengthen the life of your flowers. Snip spent blooms as they fade to keep your bouquet looking fresh. Add water daily.