Do your flowers last long enough?

You may have heard that when you receive flowers, it is best to cut the stems at a 45-degree angle and put them in fresh water. Then change the water every day, keep them in plenty of light (but not direct sunlight) and keep them cool and away from heat sources.

But what if your flowers are still dying too fast?

Well, the chances are that they are just old and there’s not much you can do about that. Here’s what you can do:

 

• Preserved flowers

  This is probably best for your wedding bouquet as it’s a bit more expensive than other methods but it keeps your flowers in amazing shape. Firstly, there are freeze-drying. This is a common option but involves a large machine and from my experience, anything with large machines comes with large costs!

   

  Secondly, there’s another trend of silica gel drying. It’s quicker than freeze drying and the gel they use can be used over and over, so it’s likely to be cheaper but it depends on the company you use.

• Pressed flowers

  Typically you hear about putting a small flower within the pages of a book and this works well! But, if you don’t have two/three weeks to wait you can also use an iron.     Place the flower between two pieces of paper, use a book to flatten it. Make sure there is no water in the iron and set it on low. Press the iron on the top piece of paper for around 15 seconds, then leave to cool for 15 seconds, then repeat. Lift the paper to see if the flower is stiff and dry, if not repeat the process once more until done.

• Potpourri

  Tie and hang the flowers in small bunches upside down. It usually takes around a week to fully dry out. Take only the petals, discard bruised petals and stems and anything else. The petals will shrink so make sure you collect 4 times as much as you think you need! Put the petals in an air-tight container with drops of your favourite oils and leave until the petals have all absorbed the oils. This could take a few weeks. After that, they will be ready to put on display and make the lovely scent of your flowers live on long after the flowers have died. You could even add things into it such as cinnamon sticks, dried oranges and small pinecones for added scent and texture!