Fresh Cut Flowers
Fresh cut flowers bring a beautiful fragrance and freshness to your wedding that fake flowers simply can't provide. Take special care of your cut flowers to ensure they will look their best for their special appearance on your big day. Cut flowers require particular attention and storing and handling procedures to keep them alive and beautiful. Follow these procedures to the "t" to make doubly sure that your cut flowers will survive the rigors of floral arranging.
Caring for cut flowers will first require some tools. You will need containers that are both large enough to hold the number of stems you have purchased and deep enough to allow the stems to stand up and be about one-third under water. Buckets are great for holding cut flowers. Of course, a major ingredient is plenty drinking water for the cut flowers water. Tepid, room-temperature tap water should work fine. You will also need garden shears or kitchen scissors. Other things you might need include rubber bands, green florist tape, lightweight floral wire, and paper towels (for cleaning up messes).
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As soon as possible, you need to get your cut flowers into water. Again, tap water should be fine, unless your area water is yellowish in color or contains harsh chemicals or metallic minerals. If your tap water is inadequate grab a couple of gallons of distilled water from the grocery store. If your flowers came with individual packets of flower food, add these in the proper quantities as directed to the water before inserting the flowers. If your flowers did not come with flower food, you can buy Flower Fresh at your local grocery store, or try adding one cup of Sprite or Seven Up. The flowers love the sugar and preservatives in clear colas. |
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If your fresh cut flowers have been out of water for a significant amount of time, they should be re-cut before you place them in the water. This will provide a new opening at the bottom of the stem for better water suction up to the flower head. Here is where the shears come in handy. Cut about a quarter-inch off the end at a forty-five degree angle while holding that end under water. Holding the stem under water while you cut allows the flower to "gulp" in a water, rather than air, which would create an undesired air bubble in the stem. Finally, store your fresh cut flowers in a cool place until they are needed again. No doubt you will notice their beauty even before you ever place them in a vase. |
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