Taking Home a Bouquet

Here are a few tips on showing your new bouquet some love and in return it will display its beauty for days (and possibly weeks) to come.

Once you get home with a new bouquet, unwrap it and get your necessary tools and supplies. Those supplies include some fresh water, a sharp set of pruners or a knife, a vase or container to display the flowers, a trash can or bag for the trimmed stems and leaves, and the floral packet we included within your bouquet.

Getting Started…

The vase you choose should be sparkling clean – clean enough to drink out of! A quick run in the dishwasher on sanitize or a quick scrub with bleach followed by a bath of soap and hot water will also do the trick.

Next, will be trimming the flower stems. Measure the length the stems need to be compared to the container or vase you will use to display them, making sure to factor in that you will trim these a couple more times in the coming days. Using a sharp set of pruners or a knife, make a clean 45-degree angle cut to trim off the stems to length (trimming at least an inch or so). The angled cut keeps the stems off the bottom of the vase, allowing them to absorb water more easily.

Prune back all leaves on the stems that will fall below the waterline. Any leaves, flowers, or buds low on the stem that are submerged in the vase water will rot and cause bacteria to grow.

Now is a good time to fill your vase or container with fresh water and double-check the leaves are pruned back far enough. Then add about a third of the floral packet included in your bouquet to the water.

We include the floral packet of food and nutrients for a reason! Included within the packet is a mix of sugar, which acts as food for your flowers and helps them take up water; citric acid, which lowers the pH of the water to stave off wilting; and just a bit of bleach, which keeps that pesky bacteria at bay. Meter out the packet and using a little bit every time you change the water will help with the longevity of your bouquet.

**TIP: If you ever run off flower food – a DIY substitute can be had by mixing 2 drops of bleach and a teaspoon of sugar with a gallon of water.

Now the fun part!

Arranging Them…

Begin by sorting your bouquet by flower type into groups on the counter or table: feature, accents, and greenery. The feature, or focal flower, is the biggest and usually 1-3 stems are included in the bouquets. Accent flowers are smaller flowers and your bouquet might include a few different types or colors.

Start with the feature flower(s) and place them within your vase. Next, add the filler flowers around the feature(s), rotate yourself or the vase around to making sure the display looks nice from many angles and that you don’t get clumps of the same flower next to each other. Lastly, fill in the gaps and spaces between the flowers with the greenery.

There’s no “real” right or wrong way to create an arrangement, so let your creativity flow and let yourself zen. If you really want a certain look, design or home decor magazines and Pinterest can be a great resource to mimic a design.

Next, add any special touches you’d like (ribbon, notecard, etc..) to further personalize it. When you get done, your arrangement should have multiple heights and textures and give you (and anyone else in the room) some real joy! Read more about cultivating joy and why we are so passionate about it here.

Next is the BIG important step –

Location, Location, Location…

Pick a location where you’d like to display your new beautiful arrangement. It should be a place unexposed to direct sunlight or heat. And away from fruit as the ethylene released by ripening fruit can make them fade. They should also be placed on a table or somewhere pets and little hands can’t easily knock them over.

Now, here’s where a little maintenance goes a long way –

Continuing Care…

Like anything in life, the more love you show to your flowers the better and longer they will keep. Check the water level daily to ensure the stems are still submerged. Remove any wilted stems as you find them. Re-trim steams, change the water, and add a little floral food every couple of days.

**Tip: for longer lasting flowers, chill them at night. Pop the vase and the bouquet in the refrigerator before bed and take it out for the day in the morning. (Professional florists store their flowers under refrigeration while they’re not on display…what’s good for them is good for yours too!

Finally, marvel over your achievement and their Indiana beauty. We hope they bring you (or whomever you give them to or visits your home) joy!