Did you receive a sympathy flower arrangement? You may be concerned about its longevity during the mourning period. Fortunately, you can help keep your sympathy flowers longer by adding a packet of flower food accompanying the flowers. Don’t have flower food or preservative? Try a simple homemade solution with a little sugar and lemon juice instead.

Sugar
Sugar is often added to the water of cut flowers because it provides energy to the entire flower, allowing it to last longer. Leaves are usually what absorb energy from the sun to create sucrose in a process known as photosynthesis, which is then used by the entire plant to survive. However, cut flowers often have many of their leaves removed (particularly all that sit below the waterline), which is why adding sugar to their water can help. One tablespoon of sugar should be enough.

However, don’t add sugar when watering a potted plant. A plant with its roots and stem intact cannot absorb sugar, unlike cut flowers which have their stem cut open. Avoid adding sugar to the water of cut lilies, as well. Research has shown that this may accelerate yellowing of the leaves.

Lemon Juice
A splash of lemon juice added to the drinking water of your sympathy flower arrangement serves to facilitate water absorption, allowing the cut flowers to obtain sustenance more easily.

If you don’t have lemon juice, whether fresh or not, you can also use some vinegar.

We just received a delivery at our home of funeral flowers for a family member who just passed away. The bouquet has a bunch of little packages of powdery stuff. Is it necessary to put this in the water for the flowers? It seems like extra work.

Whenever you buy a flower arrangement from 416-Florist.com for any occasion, you’ll notice that we include one or more small packets of a fine granular substance. Labelled as flower food, these do more than just provide sustenance for your fresh blooms – they also preserve their longevity so that you can enjoy their beauty longer.

Flower food does 3 important things:
1. Provides sugars for the flowers to feed on.
2. Those same sugars provide bacteria to feed on. This protects the stems since the bacteria have something else to eat rather than the stems.
3. Helps the stems absorb water more easily.

All flower food have a unique formula that combines sugar, chlorine and alum to create a fresh cut flower preservative. Other ingredients vary depending on the type of flower the food is designed for.

The funeral flower arrangement you’ve received was sent to commemorate the life of your loved one. Maintain its beauty by simply dissolving the flower food in the amount of water recommended (as stated on the back of the package) before placing your flower arrangement in the vase. It is worth the trouble.

Sometimes when you purchase flower bouquets, you don’t use them right away. You may have bought them to give away the next day, or have planned to use them much later in the day to decorate your home.  Whatever the reason, cut flower bouquets (not in vases or wet foam/sponge) that aren’t used as soon as you get them home should not be left bound together tightly, in cellophane wrapping. This is the way your Toronto florist packages the flowers so that they may be conveniently transported home, arranged in a visibly appealing manner that allows you to simply place them in a vase without much fuss. It is not the way you should store the flowers, since keeping them tied up in cellophane is one of the fastest ways to make your flower bouquet wilt.

1. As soon as you bring the bouquet home, unwrap the packaging it’s in and take off any ribbon, elastic band, or anything else that’s holding the flowers and greenery together. Just doing this frees the blooms, allowing them to get enough air.

If you plan on giving the flower bouquet to someone, remember to keep all of the packaging so that you can rewrap the flowers to present to your recipient. It’s a good idea to take a photo of the bouquet in its original condition so that you can arrange it again in the same manner at a later time.

2. Cut each flower stem and green garnish on an angle so that a larger surface area is exposed to water.

3. Trim leaves and foliage on the lower part of the stems.

4. Mix the flower food with fresh water in a clean vase or container, and place the flowers in it.

Now, the cut flowers have plenty of fresh water and air to survive longer, patiently waiting for you to use them!

1. One of the first things you should do as soon as you receive a bouquet or cut flower arrangement is to trim the stems, getting rid of any part that is dry or damaged. Use a sharp pair of scissors and submerging the stems in water, cut about 2 centimetres from each on a diagonal. It’s also important to remove any leaves or branches that would remain under water once you put the arrangement in the vase.

If the flowers are included with a gift basket, they can be left alone since they usually have a source of water attached to the stems. Just make sure the water level is high enough.

2. Make sure that the vase or container you put the flowers in is filled with fresh water, preferably much colder than room temperature. Change the water once a day, or more if it looks dirty.

3. Florists keep most of their stock in a walk-in fridge for a reason. Cut flowers stay fresher longer when kept in cooler temperatures. The environment should be at around 5 degrees Celsius (optimum temperatures vary for different flowers).

But come on, let’s be realistic. Nobody is going to keep their bouquet of flowers in the fridge. They’re meant to be displayed for the pleasure of the recipient.  A good way to maintain freshness without using the fridge is by placing arrangements out of direct sunlight or away from heat-producing objects, like appliances and vents.

Poinsettias have become synonymous with Christmas, and it’s not the green leaves we admire. Unfortunately, even seasoned gardeners admit that these plants can be exceptionally hard to rebloom at the right time the following year. While it’s probably easier to just buy another one, you can try getting the poinsettias you have to bloom on time for your Christmas get togethers by following these tips:

1. At this time of year, make sure to expose your poinsettias to bright light at a temperature of about 21C  during the day. From 4:30-5:00pm to about 8 in the morning, keep the plant in total darkness at a temperature of about 19C. This will adequately help the bracts (leaves) to start developing that lush and lovely red colour.

2. Once you see that the bracts are starting to develop their colour, expose them to bright light 8 hours a day, maintaining the same temperature as before. They no longer have to be in total darkness at night, so leave them in a bright spot well isolated from drafts.

3. Don’t overwater or expose the plant to dramatic temperature changes and drafts. This can cause serious harm. Poinsettias only need enough water to moisten the soil, not soak it.

It might be too late to get your poinsettias to bloom in time for holiday festivities, but it won’t hurt to try!

And while we’re talking about poinsettias, pictured is our Festive Poinsettia Christmas Gift Basket, a bountiful box of goodies that appeals to the sweet and savory tooth. Like the decorative box?

The pressure is on! It’s Valentine’s Day, and lets be frank, every year the expectations get higher. That’s okay we have your back. 416-Florist.com knows how to impress the sweethearts with the perfect bouquet of roses, and if your tired of red roses then you might want to opt for different types of flowers. Here our top ten romantic floral arrangements for Valentine’s Day!

10. The single rose: You might just have met, or its the debut of your relationship, but a single rose is the equivalent to the safe card. It shows you have the potential of a romantic relationship, but for now lets get to know each other. Thankfully a single rose will most likely be in your budget, and sometimes the rose itself is classier than with lots of baby’s breath and greenery. 416-Florist.com has provided you these roses.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

9. Red and pink flowers with wax flower: You can pick the flowers for this one, personally gerberas are always a safe and pretty flower, not as romantic as roses, but you can throw roses and lilies in the bouquet just for fun. Don’t forget to accent your bouquet, wax flowers always do a nice job, throw a couple of ferns and you have yourself a nice bouquet for that special date.,

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8. A dozen red Calla lilies: That might be knew to some, but yes there are red Calla lilies, and yes they are gorgeous.  Just make sure to call and order these before hand, 416-Florist.com does a fantastic job in bringing in the flowers you want!

7. Calla lilies, red roses and chocolates: Well this is something, the combination of the most romantic flowers along with scrumptious dessert, your sure to have a pleasant and delicious evening. You can even chose to have your flowers arranged in a vase along with nice greenery and baby’s breath.

6. Dozen roses wrapped and a box of truffles: Yummy and classic! Let’s face it some say oh just dozen red roses, but those people most likely don’t get flowers that often, because if you do you know a dozen red roses are totally worth receiving each year!

5. Red roses and calla lilies: I’m guessing your planning to go classy this year? Well if you are then this is the perfect choice! You can have a very luscious red bouquet with red calla lilies or just a nice bouquet of white calla lilies with luscious red or any other color rose.

4. Dozen red roses in a box: It’s just tradition! you’ve seen it in the movies, that long white box with the beautifully wrapped ribbons attached with a card. The thrill of opening that box is amazing and I’m sure your sweetheart will enjoy opening their box of roses just as much.

3. 24 Red roses in a box: Were going to upgrade a bit. Let’s take those luscious red roses and double it. Anyway who doesn’t love something doubled? Same beautiful white box and lovely ribbons!

2. 24 red roses with Calla Lilies: I believe you see the trend, the more roses, the more calla lilies, the more impressive the arrangement. You can add some baby’s breath or my pick limonium, along with greenery, and if you like, a nice vase to arrange it in.

1. Vases of red roses, petals and candles: This is possibly the most romantic you can make an environment! Just go crazy with the amount of rose vases in the room, scatter petals all over the place and arrange beautifully scented candles all around the place. For the desert, a delicious chocolate cake or ice cream will do just right!

After you’ve gently unwrapped the cellophane or paper around the bouquet by cutting it open with scissors, remove any damaged flowers and trim the lower leaves off of the stems so none will be submerged in water when placed in the vase. Then, using a sharp knife or pair of scissors, cut about 2 cm diagonally off the bottom of the stems underwater. This should be repeated if the bottom of the stems appear rotted or slimy.

For all flowers, clean the vase and change the water every couple of days.

Place your completed bouquet away from draught, direct sunlight and heaters. It is also recommended that the flowers not be placed near fruit, since ripe fruit emits gases that are believed to be harmful.

And remember: if you’re buying cut flowers, you should always select ones that not only look fresh, but that have also been picked at the right time. For example, lilies are usually harvested while the blooms are still closed, so don’t be surprised if you receive some in your bouquet. They’ll eventually open up and last longer because of this. On the other hand, most dahlias and chrysanthemum are cut when fully open since they don’t generally open further.

If you didn’t get a chance to put your flowers into a vase immediately, and they’ve started to wilt and become limp, then simply trim a couple cm off the stems underwater, wrap them in paper, and chill for about couple of hours. This will freshen them up and restore their beauty.