Valentine’s Day is a time for romantic gestures and thoughtful surprises, and there are many people out there who consider a bouquet of fresh red roses to be the ultimate symbol of love and affection. If you are one of the lucky ones this year and have been gifted with a beautiful bouquet of these stunning flowers, you will want to make sure they last as long as possible.
In order to help you keep your flowers looking their best, here is a simple guide to keeping your roses looking beautiful. Follow these helpful hints and tips and you can enjoy your wonderful Valentine’s Day roses for longer.
- First things first; get your roses out of their wrappings and into water as soon as possible. Cut roses need lots of water and they need it right away.
- Trim your stems by removing any dead or wilting leaves and discard any broken heads or wilting flowers as well
- The next step is to cut off about 2cm from the bottom of each stem. A handy tip here is to do place each stem under running water and only use sharp scissors or secateurs. If you use anything blunt to cut them you risk damaging the stems and their ability to take up water.
- Make sure the vase you use is clean and free from bacteria. A quick wash with soapy water and a good rinse should do the trick.
- Home-made mixtures of flower food such as bleach or copper coins have been circulated for years but none of these have been proven to be as effective as the proper flower food that comes with your bouquet, so stick with this.
- Once your flowers are placed in your chosen vase, you should remove any leaves or thorns that fall below the water level as these can cause algae and bacteria to form.
- Roses are summer flowers and so prefer lukewarm water rather than cold water as it helps them to absorb their food and water more efficiently.
- Check the water regularly and change it every two or three days to keep it fresh.
- Cut roses are quite delicate and so you should keep your bouquet out of direct sunlight and away from cold draughts if you can.
