Dirty flowers...? - Orchard Farm Flowers

Did you know that some flowers are dirty..?

Yes, it really is a ‘thing’…

A dirty flower is one that causes bacteria to grow more quickly than others and makes the water in the vase look dirty.

This shortens its vase life and the life of other flowers.

It has happened to all of us, but you can solve the problem very easily to make certain that they don’t slump in the vase and look half-dead after only a couple of days.

Just follow these simple steps…
1. After you have cut your flowers, recut the stems under running water to wash away any debris and put them a vase with warm (hand-hot) water. Warm water helps them drink

2. Change the water every 3-4 days and keep the stems trimmed. The stems get blocked and the flowers can’t drink.

3. You can use flower food made from 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of sugar, and 1/2 tsp of bleach added to a litre of water. This will help keep the water clean.

4. Always keep your flowers out of direct sunlight and away from fruit and veg – ripening fruit and veg produces ethylene that speeds the aging process of your flowers.

Large flower growers may treat their flowers with ethylene blockers to slow down the aging process, but most small growers (including us) don’t!

That’s it!

Here are some of the worst offenders: Cornflowers, Zinnias,Sunflowers, Hyacinth, Marigolds, Feverfew, Dahlias, Stocks, Achillea, Snapdragons,Narcissus.