Serving Bewdley, Kidderminster, Stourport-on-Severn, & The Wyre Forest including: -
Why not bookmark Cooks the Florist?
30 Load Street
Bewdley
Worcestershire
DY12 2AS
reliable floristry service +
beautiful flowers
help express your feelings
Pink Extravagance Hand-tied £49.99 |
Germini Perfect Gift £24.99 |
Pink or White Lillies £29.99 |
Exquisite Arrangement £29.99 |
Spring Rose & Freesia Hand-tied From £34.99 |
Spring Planter £22.99 |
Scents of Spring Perfect Gift £24.99 |
Spring Mixed Hand-tied £29.99 |
Delivery extra.
Consequently how they are cared for can make a noticeable difference.
Quick tips is an abbreviated guide on how to get the most from your flowers - lower down the page is a more detailed information.
Re-cut the stems at an angle of 45 degrees with a sharp knife or scissors, taking off 25mm or 1 inch. The purpose of removing a small amount of the stem is to promote the take up of water. The cells at the base of the stem are prone to dying and thus water will not travel up the stem to the flower. If you can cut the stem at an angle it creates a larger surface area to draw water up.
Placing the stems in deeper water will give the flowers a good drink prior to arranging in a clean receptacle. Rotting foliage if allowed in the water encourages bacterial growth that will shorten the life of the flowers.
Flower food provided with all orders should be used at the stated strength. The flower food provides the flowers with nutrients such as, potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen, and has anti bacterial properties to keep the water clean.
However using the flower food in a higher concentration is often detrimental to the flowers and can cause reverse-osmosis, which is where the nutrients in the flower are drawn out of the stem in to the water.
Roses are extremely popular but do require a little TLC of their own. Treat as Cut Flowers above and ensure they are in deep water.
If your roses flop at the neck after a day or two they are almost certainly not dead but having trouble drinking the water due to an airlock in the stem. (This is a common problem with woody stemmed flowers especially roses). They can almost always be revived.
Remove your watch and jewellery etc. Fill a bucket with water, place the stems in the water so they sit on the base of the bucket. Take a sharp pair of scissors and re-cut the stems at an angle whilst the stems are under the water. Take off about 50mm or 2 inches. Once you have trimmed the stems leave in the bucket for an hour or until the heads have recovered.
The water pressure draws the airlock out of the stem and the deeper water allows the stem to draw water up to the head more effectively.
Once the roses have recovered they can be transferred to a more ornamental vase
For hand-tieds supplied in water for delivery purpose only Cooks recommends transferring in to a vase as soon as practical. Do not forget to add the flower food supplied.
Usually the flowers have been arranged in Oasis or a vase. Keep the water level topped up daily.
If possible flowers last longer in a cool stable environment.
Putting flowers in direct sunlight, draughts or hot locations increases the transportation rate and respiration rate resulting in the flowers losing water faster.
This may well cause the flowers to become limp if they cannot draw water up as fast as it is being lost. Alternatively they may well drink the water quickly and cause it to run dry.
Using the flower food in the correct dosage will help prolong the life of your flowers
Some flowers foliage and plants are toxic or can cause skin irritation. Keep out of the reach of children. Always wash your hands after handling flowers.
Keep flowers clear of electrical equipment and use a protective mat to protect furniture if there is any risk of marking.
Lily pollen from stamens is known to stain permanently in the most severe cases. The stamens can be removed as the lilies open.
Remove flowers as they fade. Dead heading will not only keep your flowers looking fresh but reduce bacteria in the water and with some flowers encourage buds to open.
Keep containers sufficiently filled with water
If the flowers are subject to higher temperatures such as in summer or if the central heating is on high the water in the vase may become too hot which will accelerate stem rot. If this is a problem change the water daily and clean the vase with a small amount of bleach before refilling with fresh water.
If your flowers are too short for your vase try putting some pebbles (marbles) in the bottom.
Some flowers are cut often in tight bud to ensure a long vase life - these especially require the correct dosage of plant food to encourage the buds to open.
Woody stem flowers can require extra care and attention because they sometimes are not getting the required water putting such flowers in deeper vases with plenty of water will help get the most from such flowers.
Ethylene gas - which is produced by fruit and vegetable whilst generally harmless to humans causes most flowers to die prematurely. Flowers are very sensitive to such gas so flowers should be kept well away from bowls of fruit or vegetables.
All Narcissi including daffodils have a toxic resin in their stems. This can kill other flowers very quickly if they are mixed together without first conditioning the narcissi. To condition the narcissi cut the stem ends off and leave in a bucket of water for 12 hours. This allows the resin to seep out in to the water. Once you have done this the narcissi can be mixed with the other flowers.
Flowers are seasonal - even allowing for the wonders of modern transport - if you have a special requirement do telephone in advance