You Have the Cut Flowers. Now What?
July 24, 2009
If you have made the courageous decision to make your own wedding flowers, there are a few things you should know about how to look after the foliage and flowers once they have been cut. You need to take proper care of them whether they come from a florist or from your garden.
From the Garden
- Any flowers or foliage from he garden should be harvested at least 3 or 4 days before your wedding.
- Pick your foliage and flowers early in the morning. The sap is just starting to rise in the stems and the sun isn’t shining on them with its full strength.
- Cut all the stems at an angle. Do not hammer the stems. This will encourage bacteria to grow which in turn shortens the life of your flowers.
- Put the cut stems into buckets of cool, clean water that has flower preservative in ti.
- Do not try to cram them all into one bucket. They need space to breathe.
- If you have some flowers that have tight buds that you want to open up, put them in warm water. This will speed up the process of the flower opening up.
From the Florist
- These flowers should all have their stems recut (at an angle). You want this fresh cut so the flower can draw water up to drink easily.
- Place the flowers in cool water with flower preservative in it.
When flowers and plants are in their natural state in the wild, they drink through their roots, stems, leaves and petals. They absorb rain water as well as any other moisture such as fog or humidity in the air. You can recreate this environment for your flowers by gently misting them with a spray bottle. You don’t want to drench them with a lot of water, just a fine misting is what’s needed. If you soak the flowers, water will settle in the center of them and rot could set in and begin to break them down.
As you prepare to make your own wedding flowers, keep these hints and tips in mind to avoid any disappointments from wilted flowers or foliage on your big day. You simply don’t need any more extra details to take care of.
