Are you looking for a florist in Oklahoma City OK? Give our shop a call at (405) 634-3368
Capitol Hill Florist is a florist in Oklahoma City OK. There's nothing like a bouquet of flowers to lighten your mood and liven up your home! Plus, it's also among the most special and heartfelt gifts we can receive on special occasions. Sadly, we all know that blooms don't last forever. But with a little work and a lot of TLC, you can keep your dear blossoms fresh and blooming for longer! We've created a simple guideline to help you maintain your beloved flowers' vibrance for a longer time. Enjoy your lovely bouquet to the fullest by following these simple steps!
If you're interested in a formal course or want to get certified as an expert on all things about flowers, we recommend looking into professional bodies and colleges in gardening and floristry such as the American Institute of Floral Designers of the AIFD (www.aifd.org), the American Floral Endowment (www.endowment.org), and other similar organizations offering programs specializing in floristry.
Containers collect a lot of dust and dirt that can make your water cloudy and infect your flowers. Even if your vase is newly-bought, be sure to wash it for safety. Cleaning your vase is really easy and affordable - you'll have all you need at home! Just wash with hot water, a lid of bleach, and let it dry. Another DIY cleaning alternative is a salt and vinegar paste. Just mix a tablespoon of salt with a tablespoon of vinegar, spread the mixture to your vase with a clean cloth or brush, and let it set for half an hour. Afterwards, wipe it off until all residue is removed, rinse out with warm water, and let dry.
Yup, you read it right: cut flowers need food, too! It allows them to blossom in full health and helps ward off infections that can reduce their lifespan. Flower food has three elements: 1) citric acid, which balances the pH level of water for optimum health; 2) sugar, which boosts their energy; and 3) bleach, which curbs fungi and bacterial growth. Your local nursery or online stores may have flower food packets readily available. But if you want to make your own at home, the recipe is easy to follow! All you need is 1 quart of water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of bleach, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. There are also plenty of substitutes to this recipe! Clear soda, apple cider vinegar, and even vodka have been proven to be successful at nourishing flowers.
Leaves and foliage that are kept on the stems and soaked in water will rot right away, introducing bacteria to your flowers which can cause disease and infection. So it's a great idea to prune your flowers before placing them in your vase and see to it that there are no leaves below the waterline. One of the top tips for keeping flowers fresh is to cut their stems! This technique creates a bigger opening at the bottom of the stem, allowing your blooms to suck in more water and delay wilting. Simply cut an inch from the stems at a 45-degree angle. It's important to be very careful, though! Bad cutting techniques can easily result in crushed stems which keep your flowers from absorbing water To prevent this, avoid using dull scissors or blades. Use a sharp knife or sharp shears instead for a guaranteed smooth and clean cut.
All flowers need water to flourish, but different blooms have different demands! Before you put them in water, research their specific water requirements. Flowers with woody and semi-woody stems like roses, mimosas, lilies, chrysanthemums, and carnations tend to drink a lot. Put them in warm water filled to about 2/3 of your vase. Soft-stemmed blooms like anemones, freesias, and ranunculuses prefer shallow water. You can place them in warm water filled to only 1/2 of your vase. Blooms with bulbous stems like daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips enjoy a bit of a chill, so place them in cool water up to 1/3 of your vase.
Most flowers thrive in cooler spots away from direct sunlight. You can still place them by the windows to create a relaxing look for your home; just see to it that they're kept away from light and that they don't touch the glass. If you enjoy having flowers as a centerpiece for your dining table or kitchen, make sure you put them where there are no fruits close by. This may sound unusual, but ripening fruits actually give off small amounts of ethylene gas that cause flowers to brown and age earlier than normal. It's also best to keep them away from anything that releases or generates heat, such as A/C units, fire places, heating vents, radiators, or televisions - these can lead to dehydration and early wilting.Water can collect dust and debris from your surroundings, while leaves and stems can break off your flowers and drop into your water. These elements cultivate an optimal environment for bacterial growth. So it's necessary to change your water every 2-3 days. For best results, you can clean the vase before you change the water. Also, be sure to mix in fresh flower food to replenish your flowers' nutrients!
When you cut flowers, you create a "wound" at the base of the stem. So flowers "mend" themselves by sealing the wound which shuts it off to water supply and dramatically decreases their water intake. This is why re-cutting stems is important! It opens up your flowers' stems so they can drink in more water; plus, it helps get rid of blockages and prevent infections as well. Simply cut about half an inch off the stem every three days and you'll be sure to extend your flowers' lives!
Remove - Roses have "guard petals" which guard the inner buds that have not yet bloomed. Florists keep them to guarantee the safety of your roses while they're being delivered, but it's safe to remove them once they arrive. This also helps your roses to spend their energy on keeping newer, more attractive petals fresh. Revive - Wilting blooms can be revived by trimming off an inch from the base of the stem, then putting the roses in a bucket of water. Keep them soaking for 30-60 minutes.
Keep cool - Peonies enjoy cool environments, so some people wrap and store them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. But putting them in a shady area in your home should be good enough to keep them thriving. Keep apart - Avoid overcrowding your vase when you have peonies in a mixed bouquet. They're quite delicate and frail, so give them plenty of space for their large blossoms to bloom. No sniffing - Smelling these temptingly aromatic flowers can actually result in early wilting! Sounds weird, but gardenias enjoy their privacy and actually turn brown when sniffed.
Pluck - Take note of your lilies' anthers; they're very likely to be covered in pollen that can stain fabric on your clothing and furniture. Simply pick the pollen off or clear away the anthers with your hands. Protect - Lilies are especially delicate flowers. Their petals tend to bruise a lot, so make sure to handle them gently when you're recutting stems or removing anthers. Spray - You can keep your hydrangeas blossoming fully and vibrantly with a few sprays of water to their petals every day. Sustain - Again, these flowers just love their water! Make sure they always get a tall drink and replace their water more regularly. Take note of temperature - Tulips often tend to be more sensitive to changes in temperature. They enjoy cooler surroundings, so if you see their blooms start to open on a hot day, just set them in front of an air-conditioner. Turn, turn, turn - These fast-growing blooms bend over and get tangled up a lot, so make sure to rotate their vase every day.