A woman smiles in a field while holding up a basket of fresh sunflowers, garden roses, protea, scabiosa, snapdragons, and other farm-fresh flowers.
Do it Yourself,  Flower Care,  Inspiration

6 Flower Care Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction

When it comes to flowers, there are infinite old wives’ tales—some of which are totally true (and totally useful) while others may be causing your fresh flowers to prematurely wilt and fade away. How can you separate fact from fiction? That’s what we’re here for! Follow along as we sift out the fluff from the good stuff when it comes to proper flower care.

Change your vase water every 2-3 days: TRUTH

This one is TRUE! Flowers are thirsty little devils, so you want to ensure that there is always ample water to satisfy them. Plus, no matter how clean your vase or water is, after a few days, bacteria can begin to propagate and invite that oh-so-icky rotten smell and look. Each time you change your water, you should thoroughly wash the vase and trim each stem (more on that next). Then, fill your clean vase with room-temperature water and add the flower food that arrives in your monthly delivery. If you need more, read on for tips on making your own at home—you guessed it, that’s another myth we’re about to bust!

Bonus Truth: When you’re done using a vase, be sure to thoroughly clean it one last time before storing. If it has even minimal residual bacteria, your next bouquet will be starting off on the wrong, stinky foot.

Trim flower stems at a 90-degree angle: BUSTED

Flowers soak up water through their stems, so rotten or dried out stem tissue can’t soak up that H20 they so desperately need. Snipping flowers exposes fresh stem tissue, so the bloom can drink up all the agua it desires. But before you make your first clip, be sure that your scissors are sharp! A dull blade will muddle your stem ends, rendering them unable to properly soak up water. With sharp clippers in hand, trim off around half an inch (or more) of the stem tissue at a 45-degree angle. Why? This allows for more surface area leading to increased water intake. We’ll drink to that!

Add sugar or a penny to give your flowers a pep in their step…stem: BUSTED, sorta

When we snip flowers from their mother plant, we’re removing them from their source of nutrition. To ensure fresh-cut flowers last, we must provide a food source. Throwing some sugar in your vase water can help perk up certain blooms, but it also can feed the water’s bacteria, which will make your water muggy, causing your flowers to wilt. So sugar on its own isn’t the best idea. How about a lucky penny? Well, yes and no. Copper does have natural anti-fungal properties, but how many of us have a penny from before 1982 on us? That was the year that the US switched from copper pennies to zinc-coated copper pennies, which defeats our whole purpose here. So stick to the flower food provided!

The only flower food I can use is the one that is provided: BUSTED

As we’ve mentioned, please do use the flower food we provide in your monthly delivery—it’s the perfect yummy balance of all the nutrients your flowers need. That’s why we include it! But once it’s time to change your water, you’ll need a flower food replacement. Here’s an easy and effective recipe to get you started:

At Home Flower Food

  • 2 parts lemon/citrus juice 🍋
  • A few drops of bleach (use gloves when handling) 🧤 
  • 4 cups lukewarm water 💧 
  • 1 part sugar 🍬

Here the sugar is serving as the yummy food and the bleach as a bacteria killer. If you prefer to avoid bleach, there are recipes that use vinegar instead. 

Flowers love sunshine: BUSTED

We all know that most flowers crave (and need) lots of sunshine to grow and thrive, but once cut, direct sunlight is a no-go! Heat causes your fresh flowers to wilt, so, instead, place your fresh bouquet in a cool location without direct sunlight. Keep your bouquet away from drafts as air from a heater or air conditioner can cause your flowers to dry out and wilt. While you’re at it, place your fresh flowers away from your television, microwave, and other electronics—plus certain fruits! Yes, you read that right. Fruits like apples and bananas let off a gas called ethylene which causes fresh flowers to age and wilt rapidly.

There’s one-size-fits-all flower care: BUSTED

Ok so the past 5 minutes of learning exactly how to care for all flower types has been a myth—sorta! Just remember that different flowers need different care. Use the aforementioned flower care truths as a general rule of (green) thumb, but when bringing fresh flowers into your home, do your research so you’re not caught by surprise when your tulips seem to be wilting a lot faster than other varieties. What could be one explanation for this phenomenon? Flowers that grow from bulbs typically prefer colder water. These types of flowers include tulips, daffodils, Callas, and certain lilies. The more you know!

We’re On A Mission!

A mission to have your fresh flowers last longer (did you know that our bouquets come with a 7+ day freshness guarantee?). These 6 flower myths are a good start! We have 3 more weeks of seeking out the truth in a field of fiction. Any flower myths plaguing you? Let’s talk about it! Share yours on our Instagram and we’ll cover them next Sunday.

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