How to Keep Your Cut Flowers Lovely for Longer in the Heat

Keep your Flowers Alive for Longer

Unfortunately it is inevitable that in very warm weather it is harder to keep fresh cut flowers looking their best for as long. Flowers are more prone to wilting in the heat and bacteria, which cause the decline of cut flowers in the vase, grow and multiply faster in warmer conditions.

But who wants a summer without cut flowers decorating the house?! And what could be better than a bouquet of summer blooms as hostess gift to take to a garden party or a barbecue?

We’re just going to have to be clever to beat the heatwave so we can still enjoy our flowers and help them last as long as possible in the vase. 

Here are three top tips for prolonging the vase life of your cut flowers in warmer weather.

 

Gresham Bouquet

 1. Keep Your Flowers in a Cool Spot

 

 On hot summer days or even in winter when the central heating is on, it can be hard to find a cool spot in the house which is also good position to display your flowers but the cooler your flowers, the longer they will live. Keep the flowers out of bright, hot sunlight. Avoid a conservatory or a south-facing windowsill in summer. Avoid above or next to radiators or fires in winter. Simply try as best as you can to find a good compromise between somewhere to show off and enjoy looking at your flowers, and keeping them as cool as possible. 

 

Euston Bouquet

 2. Keep the Water in the Vase Fresh and Re-Cut the Stems

 

 Cut flowers need plenty of clean, fresh water in their vase to keep them at their best. They take up water through their stems which keeps them turgid and upright. Since water evaporates at a faster rate in warmer conditions, you need to keep an eye on the water level in the vase to make sure the flowers have plenty to drink.
What’s more, bacteria in the water will cause the flowers to perish and since bacteria grow and multiply more rapidly in warmer conditions, this is something to be aware of even more in hot weather. To keep bacteria levels as low as possible, make sure the vase you use is hygienically clean before you fill it, and every two or three days (or as required), remove the flowers from the vase, clean it, re-fill with fresh, clean water and trim the bottom inch of the stems at an angle before putting them back in the water.
Re-cutting the stems helps uptake of water because it removes the ends of the stems which can get clogged up and reveals the open channels further up the stems. Cutting at an angle exposes more surface area for water uptake.
Euston Bouquet

3. Keep Flowers Away from Ripening Fruit

 

As fruits ripen they release ethylene gas, also known as ‘the plant-ripening hormone’. As well as promoting the ripening of fruits, ethylene also has an effect on flowers, accelerating the ageing process to and causing buds, petals and leaves to drop. Fruits like bananas, tomatoes and apples produce particularly high levels of ethylene so you should definitely avoid placing your cut flowers near to your fruit bowl or even close to the tomatoes ripening on your kitchen windowsill if you want to keep them looking lovely for longer.
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