Ingrid's Floral Tips #3

This is the third in a series of blog posts called Ingrid's Floral Tips. 

This time it's about the very basics of cleaning vases, what tools to use and how to condition flowers.

# 1. Always make sure you use a clean vase. Any bacteria will shorten the life of the flowers. Give the vase a good scrub with warm soapy water and a brush. For a vase with a narrow neck you will need a bottle brush. Finish off with a a thorough rinse making sure there is no soapy residue left. 

# 2. Always use clean and sharp cutting tools, a pair of floral scissors will be sufficient for most flowers. Have a container with water ready for the flowers.

# 3. For woody stems you might need something a little stronger - like a pair of snippers or secateurs.

# 4. Most flowers you buy will come wrapped up in paper or cellophane and the individual bunches will have elastic bands holding them together. Remove all wrapping and elastic bands as soon as you get home.   

# 5. Next you need to condition the flowers. Start off with removing all the lower leaves - any that you think will end up below the water level in the vase. Leaves submerged in water encourages bacterial growth. 

 # 6. After you removed the lower leaves - cut about 2-3 cm/1" off the bottom of each stem. The cut should be at an angle to allow maximum surface area to absorb water. Put the flowers as soon as possible in the container with water and leave the flowers in a cool, dark place preferably over night or at least a few hours before you arrange them. 

I hope you have enjoyed my flower tips and as this will be a regular series I hope you'll come back for more.

Have a Lovely Floral Day!

See you back here soon!

xo Ingrid