Happy, Healthy, Thriving flowers. The team has written up some of our favourite flower care tips which will ensure your flowers have the best possible vase life.
Before the Flowers Leave the Studio
All our bouquets are wrapped in paper and a water source is placed at the base of the stems. Transporting your flowers with care is the first important step to ensure their vitality.
We do place the flowers in enough water to last for 4-5 hours. Depending on the type of flower and time of year, you may need to top up their water if you are keeping the bouquet wrapped for longer than a day. If you are keeping the bouquet over night to gift the next day, check the water level before you go to sleep.
Bouquet care
When the bouquet is ready to be unwrapped and put in a vase, choose a vessel that will support the stems and fill it with room temperature water.
We don’t believe in any of the “hacks” you see on the internet. So, you won’t need flower food, bleach, vodka, or pennies. Sugar stimulates blooms to open, so unless you want a stubborn sunflower to open, we wouldn’t recommend the use of sugar.
*Hint: if you want your tulips to stand up straight put them in a taller vase. Roses hate being on an angle, so make sure they are standing up straight.
The best thing you can do for your flowers is chop the stems and change their water daily. With sharp secateurs cut each stem on an angle (45 degrees) approximately 2cm from the base. This creates a larger surface area for the flower to drink.
If you want the bouquet to hold the same shape as when the florist built it, don’t untie the binding. This also makes it more manageable for you to replace the water and not have stems going everywhere.
Remove any leaves that fall below the water line as this encourages bacterial growth.
Place your flowers in a draft free position away from heat or direct sunlight. Some flowers will last longer than others, so make sure you remove the spent blooms.
Arrangement care
Once you have designed your arrangement with one of our expert florists, they will then choose the appropriate techniques to build the mechanics. Our preferred designs are foam-free and use vessels with chicken wire.
Foam-Free flower care: very simple, fill up the vessel as the flowers require and remove any spent flowers. The spent flowers will encourage bacteria growth which will spread to the other blooms.
The only times we will build your arrangement into foam is if you are transporting it or if we are worried the weather conditions may impact the integrity of the design. It is not necessary to remove your flowers from this material.
Foam flower care: Take a quarter cup of water and pour slowly into the centre of the flower arrangement. Once the foam is full, water will begin to pool on its surface – at this point, stop pouring.
We would recommend placing your flowers on a non-porous surface to avoid any staining that may occur if your flower arrangement is overwatered and leaks. Florist foam should be disposed of with regular household refuse.
Corsage/ Boutonniere/ Flower Crown care
The team makes all of our corsages, boutonnieres, and fresh flower crowns as close to your event as possible. In all of these designs, we have either cut the stems very short or create false stems.
You will receive your piece/s in the hydration chambers that the team has created. Keep the designs in the hydration chamber and place them in the ‘fruit and veg’ section of your fridge. 30 minutes before your event, take them out of the fridge and hydration chamber to allow them to dry out.
Depending on the floral materials used, you may be able to dry the flowers on your corsage, boutonniere, or flower crown. If you would like to dry your piece, we recommend removing it before the dancing starts (remember they are very delicate) and hanging them upside down when you get home.
We hope you enjoy your flowers! The Rusty Gals are very passionate about flowers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about caring for your flowers.
Phone: 3289 6420
Email: hello@rustybucket.com.au