Flower Preservation Tips

I'm part of our local garden club, which my grandmother was also an avid member of. Even though she has passed away, its fun to get to know some of the ladies that she once played with.

Last week we did some flower arranging and a local flower shop owner came to give us some tips. I love arranging flowers, but I never realized how many things I was doing wrong with regard to their care and preservation. So often I would focus on the arranging of the flowers, which is the creative part... but if you want your flowers to last a week or more, follow these simple tips:

* Put the flowers in water as soon as they are cut

*Always use a clean vase

*Always strip all the leaves off the stems (don't let any of the leaves touch the water; otherwise the water will flow into the leaves and not into the flower head)

*Cut stems at an angle; if they are woody stems, cut them in a V shape

*Always use a clean knife or shears. Any diseases from one plant can be transferred to other plants.

Here is a photo of my arrangement. It lasted over a week :)

Here are some of the other ladies arrangements and some that were done as examples.

Happy Flower Arranging!