Receiving fresh flowers is such a lovely thing, and with a little care you can help them stay beautiful for as long as possible.
At Harakeke Florist in Christchurch, we carefully prepare every bouquet before it leaves our Sumner store. Once your flowers arrive home, there are a few simple things you can do to help them last.
FLOWER CARE
Give the stems a fresh cut
Before placing your flowers into a vase, trim around 1–2cm from the bottom of the stems using clean, sharp scissors or secateurs.
Cutting the stems on an angle helps them take up water more easily.
If your bouquet has arrived beautifully wrapped and arranged, you can enjoy it as it is initially, then give the stems another fresh cut when you refresh the water.
Use a clean vase
Start with a thoroughly clean vase and fill it with fresh, cool water.
Bacteria can build up quickly in vase water, so a clean vase is one of the easiest ways to help your flowers last longer.
Remove leaves below the water line
Make sure there are no leaves sitting underneath the water.
Leaves left submerged will begin to break down and encourage bacteria to grow, which can affect how well your flowers drink.
Change the water regularly
Fresh water makes a big difference.
We recommend changing the vase water every day or two. When you do, rinse the vase and give the stems another small trim before returning them to the water.
Keep your flowers somewhere cool
Fresh flowers will generally last longer away from direct sunlight and heat.
Avoid placing them beside heaters, fireplaces, sunny windows or other warm areas of the house.
It is also a good idea to keep flowers away from bowls of ripening fruit, as fruit naturally releases ethylene gas, which can cause flowers to age more quickly.
Some flowers will open at different speeds
A mixed bouquet is constantly changing.
Some flowers may arrive quite tight and gradually open over several days, while others will already be beautifully open when your bouquet arrives.
This is part of the joy of having fresh flowers in your home. Your arrangement will often look slightly different each day.
Remove finished flowers as they fade
Different flowers naturally have different vase lives.
If one flower finishes before the others, simply remove it from the arrangement. This allows you to continue enjoying the flowers that are still looking beautiful.
You can also rearrange your bouquet into a smaller vase as the days go by.
What if a flower starts to droop?
If a stem begins to look tired or droopy, give it a fresh cut and return it to plenty of clean water.
Sometimes flowers simply need a good drink, particularly after being transported or sitting out of water for a short period.
A little seasonal variation is completely normal
Flowers are a natural product, and every stem is slightly different.
Small marks, changes in colour, unusual shapes or natural variations are all part of what makes fresh flowers beautiful.
We select our flowers carefully and love working with what is freshest and most beautiful each season.
Most importantly, enjoy them
Flowers bring something very special into a home.
They can mark an important moment, brighten an ordinary day or simply remind us to stop and notice something beautiful.
At Harakeke Florist, we create fresh seasonal bouquets from our Sumner florist and deliver flowers throughout Christchurch.
If you're looking for beautiful fresh flowers or same-day flower delivery in Christchurch, you can explore our flower collection online.
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