Updated on: Aug 31, 2024
Florists in your city can provide you with any beautiful flower arrangements you may wish for whether it be boutonnieres, wedding bouquets, or more. However, once you leave the flower shop, it is up to you to keep those flowers alive and fresh. For events as special as weddings, make sure your wedding flowers thrive long after you visit the wedding florists. Here are some easy flower preserving tips, to keep your flowers looking young and fresh for weeks after your trip to the floral shops.
Flower Preserving Tips: The Initial Preservation
1. Freshness Checks
To find out if your roses are fresh when you are buying them, you can do this simple trick: squeeze very gently at the top of the stem where it meets the rose petals. If the roses are fresh they will feel firm. It’s old if it feels soft and squishy.
2. Begin with Quality Flowers
Needless to say, beginning with a poor quality bouquet will result in a poor quality finished product. Make sure to treat your flowers with care during your wedding ceremony so that they don’t bruise. Ask your florist about what each flower needs to thrive. Some flowers are best if kept in water and some are best kept in the fridge. If you want to keep your flowers looking fresh, it doesn’t hurt to consult your local florist about your flower needs.
3. Flower Shops
If you want professional help, try asking if your florist can freeze-dry your flowers. If you freeze-dry your flowers, they will keep their look and their form for you to enjoy forever. Take the buds to different floral shops for different prices.
4. Use Household Items like Hairspray
Hairspray can help prevent those flower arrangements from wilting so quickly. Spray a little on the buds and watch them last longer. It will also help keep the color of your flowers.
5. Aspirin
Aspirin is another home remedy for keeping your flowers looking fresh. All you need to do is add crushed aspirin to the water before placing your flowers in the vase.
6. Bleach & Sugar
If you put 1/4 teaspoon bleach per one liter of water in the vase, your flowers should stay bright and fresh. Other recipes say that three drops of bleach and one teaspoon of sugar in the vase will do the trick. The bleach keeps the vase water from getting cloudy and also prevents the growth of bacteria.
7. Copper Penny
All you need is a copper penny and a cube of sugar for this technique. Add one of each to your vase of flowers. You will be shocked at how well this trick works. The copper in the pennies works as an acidifier, which can stop the forming of bacteria.
8. Mouthwash
Mouthwash is the last home remedy that can help maintain your flowers’ freshness. Just add a couple of ounces of mouthwash to every gallon of water. The mouthwash kills off bacteria and maintains a healthy environment for your flowers to live.
9. Hanging
If you hang your flowers by the stem with something like a clothespin, they will dry upside down and keep their shape. This will encourage the buds to dry out so you can reuse them for keep-sakes or as decorations.
10. Microwave
If you’re short on time, this is a good option. Placing the flowers in the microwave will zap the moisture out of your plants. This is also the preferred method for flowers that struggle to air-dry.
11. Pressing
This is great for boutonnieres. One of the most popular ways to do this is with big, heavy books. Place the rose, daisy, or carnation in between two pages and wait about two weeks.
12. Silica Gel
Silica gel can be found in many garden/nursery centers, and there are even silica gels made specifically for flowers. It is a compound that absorbs moisture quickly. The flowers that you used silica gel tend to have their colors preserved better than with other methods. Most of these plants will dry within 36 to 48 hours, and silica gel can then be dried and reused for other flowers!
Flower Preserving Tips: Later Maintenance
13. Environmental Hazards
When fresh, your flowers needed the sun to survive. Once preserved, flowers can be ruined by sunlight. Display your flowers out of direct sunlight to avoid fading. Also, dry air can make your flowers brittle and delicate so keep them away from heaters.
14. Potpourri
The petals don’t have to go to waste. Remove them from the stems and set them out to dry. Once they’re ready, place them in a decorative bowl, and voila! Potpourri.
15. Moths
Your preserved flowers may be attacked by moths. To get rid of them, wrap your flowers in a plastic bag and then store them in the freezer for about a week. The cold temperature should kill the moths and any larvae.
16. Cleaning
If dust should collect on your flowers, clean them gently with a feather duster or a hairdryer set on low to maintain your floral upkeep.
17. Storing
If you wish to store your preserved flowers, keep them protected by surrounding them with newspaper and placing them in a cardboard box. It should not be stored in damp basements or attics that are exposed to very dry air.
18. Displaying
There are many stylish ways to display your preserved flowers. Use modern containers such as domes and shadow boxes to keep your flowers secure and protected. Choosing a quality container can extend the life of your flowers for years.
19. Trimming and Care
Get in the habit of trimming the stems almost every day. This will help the flowers get the right amount of nutrients and water they need to thrive.
Preserving Flowers: Conclusion
There are very few decorations that can brighten a room like a fresh bundle of flowers. And they are too important to simply give away or let go to waste. After spending time picking out the right floral design with florists in your city, you’ll want to make your arrangements last. Even though your flowers are no longer fresh, it doesn’t mean that they are done for. Keep flowers beautiful with our quick tips on floral upkeep to maintain and preserve your flowers.
Written by Rachel Brannon, Sarah Guides, Jessica Bundy and Aditi Parikh