Tips for Caring for Fresh Holiday Flowers

When guests arrive with holiday flowers in hand you may be tempted to plunge the entire bouquet into the nearest container of cold water -- until you have time to dig out the perfect vase. Unfortunately, your zeal to do the right thing may shorten the life of your cut flowers. Follow these tips to keep your holiday flowers looking their best.

• Recut the stems with a sharp knife. Hold the stem under cool running water as you recut the stem on an angle. Use care not to crush or damage the stem as you make a clean cut. This prevents air bubbles from forming and blocking the transport of water up the stem.
• Plunge them in warm water immediately after cutting the stem. Use a bucket or large container filled with warm water as temporary holding bin for your flowers. Adjust the water temperatures between 100 and 110 degrees. Warm water travels up the stem quickly replacing any water lost during transport.
• Allow cut flowers to sit in the warm water for at least half an hour -- or until you have time to arrange the flowers into a proper display. At this point, you can set your flowers aside for several hours, if necessary.
• Select an appropriate vase for the floral display. Keep in mind that the vase should enhance the natural beauty of the flowers and allow room for all flowers to be seen.Choose a color that complements the colors in the flowers, but does not overpower them. As a rule, choose a vase that is one third to one half the height of the tallest flowers.
• Add floral preservative to the water to keep flowers fresh and prevent bacteria from growing in the water. Commercial floral preservative has all the ingredients necessary to prolong the life of your flowers, but you can make your own, too. Mix two cups of non-diet citrus soda with two cups of water and one half teaspoon of bleach.
• Fill the vase half way with the mixture.
• Arrange the flowers in the vase. Remove any leaves below the water level to prevent contaminating the water.
• Top off the water solution in the vase once all flowers are arranged.
• Check the water daily for any signs of stagnation. Cloudy water is a sign that bacteria in growing in the water.
• Recut flower stems - again under running water - when water becomes stagnant and needs to be changed. Typically, the water needs changing every three to five days.
• Display flowers out of direct sunlight, as this may shorten the life of your flowers. Keep in mind that although living plants require sunlight, cut flowers do not.
• Move flowers to a cool area at night. Temperatures of 50 degrees are ideal for prolonging the life of your floral display.

By planning ahead and keeping a bucket or container on hand in the event that guests brings flowers makes your job easier and insures your cut flowers get the care they need.