Easy tips and tricks to keep your floral arrangements looking fresh

To get your flowers to last longer, it’s important to prune, and replace the water at the correct intervals. Here’s all you need to know about the upkeep of bouquets.

One of the major factors for any bouquet or flower to last longer is how it has been conditioned. Each flower has a different science to it so when your flowers first arrive at your door step, all they need is a bit of pruning and fresh water to perk up. Anuja Joshi, Marketing Director and creative face of Interflora India shares how you can keep your flowers fresh:

* Remove the flowers from the box and wrap the bouquet.

* Fill a vase 2/3rd with room-temperature water.

* Empty the entire sachet of flower food provided and stir to mix.

* Trim 1 to two inches of the stems at an angle using scissors or a sharp knife.

* Place the bouquet into a vase. Tweak the arrangement as needed and watch your flowers perk up before your eyes!

How to change water in your flower arrangement:

* Water wisely: Since flowers continue to drink water after they’ve been cut, it’s important to keep fresh flowers in water always. Exposing the stem to air, even briefly, can cause the water-absorbing cells to shrivel which can shorten the life of your flowers.

* Cut stems: Trim the flower stems at an angle before inserting in water. Cutting the stems at an angle prevents them from sitting flat at the bottom of the vase which can block the absorption of water. Re-trim the stems once every few days.

* Prune daily: Look out for dead or loose leaves that may be submerged in water and remove them. Leaving them will cause bacterial rot which can shorten the life of your bouquet.

* Avoid heat and drafts: Place your flowers in an area that’s protected from excessive heat such as heat-generating appliances like heaters or ovens and direct sunlight.

* Important information: For those with allergies or sensitivities to flower fragrance, the best non-fragrant options are tropical flowers such as orchids, anthurium, birds of paradise or other tropical varieties.

Tarun Joshi, Co-founder and CEO of IGP.com (Indian Gifting portal) also shares some more tips:

* Unwrap the plastic/paper wrapping as soon as possible.

* Avoid placing flower arrangements in windowsills and other areas with full sun where flowers can wilt due to overheating. Most flowers will last longer under cool conditions.

* Keep your vase filled with water. All flower and foliage stems should be submerged. Flowers stay fresher, longer when they can get a drink.

* If your flowers came in a basket or other container with foam, add fresh water every day.

* Immediately remove dead or wilting leaves and stems from fresh flower arrangements.

* Watch your water. When it gets cloudy it’s time to change it out.