A bouquet from the boutique lives as long as it is cared for in its first twenty-four hours. We compose our arrangements from flowers cut no more than 48 hours before delivery, but from then on a great deal depends on the vase, the water and where it stands in the room.
The first hour: a fresh cut
Remove the wrapping, unless the bouquet is in a box, and recut each stem with a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle. Do this under cool running water: that way no air enters the stems, and the flower keeps drinking.
Strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline. In water they quickly begin to rot and shorten the life of the whole bouquet.
Water and vase
The vase should be spotlessly clean. Fill it a third of the way with room-temperature water and add the sachet of flower food we include with every order. Roses and peonies are happy with the same routine, while hydrangeas need more water: they drink through their petals too.
Change the water every two days and trim the stems slightly each time. It is the dullest habit of all, and the most effective.
Where to place it
Keep flowers away from radiators, direct sunlight and the fruit bowl: ripe apples and bananas release ethylene, which speeds up wilting. At night you can move the bouquet somewhere cool, just as florists do in the atelier.
If the heads droop
A rose with a drooping head can be saved: make a fresh cut, wrap the flower tightly in stiff paper along its full length and stand it in deep water for two hours. The stem will fill with water and straighten again.
