Flowers are a fantastic gift that you may want to keep forever. Whether those blooms have marked a special occasion, they made you smile, or if you just really like them. We’d love to share our tips and tricks on keeping your flowers forever.
From setting your blooms up for the longest life span possible to drying and crafting with your floral arrangement, we have a lot of advice to give.
Set Your Blooms Up For Success
Start your flowers off on the right foot by keeping them bright and beautiful for as long as possible. If you’ve purchased your flowers from a wholesaler, bought them in bulk, or just brought them home from the market, you may need to prep them before they go into a vase.
If you’ve purchased your flowers from a florist, their designers have most likely prepped them before placing them in the vase or container.
Sourcing
Flowers are not just flowers. Just like food, brand name and source will hugely affect their quality. For example, a cut Rouge Baiser rose can last 10 to 14 days and are extra fragrant, whereas a regular rose, when cut, usually lasts about a week.
If you have access to a local grower, purchasing your flowers directly from them will ensure your flowers are at their freshest, giving you the longest time to enjoy your beautiful blooms. They are also experts and can lead you towards the longest-lasting varieties, what’s in season, and what will fit your project and vision.
The next best source is anyone with a direct relationship with a grower. Large, but local florists, like us at Bagoy’s Florist & Home, source our flowers directly from the growers and do offer bulk pricing. Connecting with a large, but local florist is one of the smartest ways to get fresh flowers without having to track down a grower. Smaller florists will often get their flowers from larger florists, or from a national brand like FTD or Teleflora so avoiding middlemen can be a bit tricky. If you want to find out if your local florist is sourcing from a reputable farmer, just ask them. If they know their growers, usually they like to brag about how fantastic each one is.
Picking your own wildflowers or taking trimmings from your garden makes you your own grower and is truly the best option. If you cut them early, as they bloom, your flowers will last the longest. If you cut them at full bloom, they may only last a few days.
Trimming
If you have purchased a bouquet, the florist will most likely trim your flowers for you. If they don’t, they probably aren’t a very good florist.
If you have purchased your flowers in bulk or cut them yourself, trimming can be simple.
Trim the stems of your flowers at a forty-five degree angle, and remove any foliage that may rest below the water, this includes leaves, thorns, or small branches.
Feed & Water
Your flowers need food and water. Changing your flower’s water often will keep their bright and beautiful blooms for the longest time. Place a little plant food in with the water each time.
If you don’t have any flower food on hand, making your own is fairly simple.
Dry Your Flowers
Drying your flowers is the easiest way of keeping your flowers forever.
If you have chosen a flower that already offers a flat shape, like daisies or many wildflowers, pressing them in a book is the easiest method of drying. If you have chosen a thick flower, like a rose or hydrangea, you can hang them out of the sun for a few days or pop them in the oven at a low temperature for a day.
It is important if you have chosen to dry your flowers, to let them completely dry. If there is moisture still in your blooms, they may fall apart. Misting your blooms with hairspray or Mod Podge will ensure that the elements (humidity) don’t re-moisturize your flowers.
Craft with dried flowers
Once you’ve enjoyed your flowers for weeks and dried them, you can continue to incorporate their beauty in your life. There are so many crafts to make with your dried flowers. You can place them back in a bouquet, create a wreath or a flower crown, make potpourri, preserve them in resin, make bath bombs, fragrant satchels or potpourri, press them into a candle, doll up your thriving plant terrarium, and so much more! Our favourite place to check out crafts and ideas is Pinterest.
Resin Art
Resin art is one of the best ways to use and preserve your flowers. The options are absolutely limitless. Whether you want to make a simple paperweight for your desk, jewellery, a coaster, or accessory, pressing your dried flowers into resin will be sure to preserve them forever.
It is of high importance to be sure your flowers are fully dry when doing resin art. A bloom that still contains moisture will break down inside of the resin.
Bath Bombs
Bath Bombs are shockingly easy to make. Corn Starch, baking soda, Epsom salt, oils for your skin, and citric acid are almost all you need. Whether you want to pack your’s with glitter or dried flowers, you can be sure that your relaxing tub time is perfect for you. This is an especially fun D.I.Y. for anyone who got flowers for a special occasion.
Bathing with your anniversary flowers will get you in the perfect mood for a date night!
Light It Up: Candles, Lanterns, & Don’t Smoke Them
Adding your dried flowers to a candle or lantern really brightens your day! It’s a fantastic beauty.
Some people smoke dried petals, especially rose petals. While this is a popular choice, it can be a deadly one. Smoking, in general, isn’t good for you, and smoking a flower that may have been treated with pesticides can be downright dangerous. We would not recommend smoking your dried flowers.
If you are looking to burn your dried flowers, simply press them into a candle.
Herbal Pillows & Potpourri
Placing your dried petals in a sachet will scent your drawers or closet. You can also place your dried petal in a bowl with other fantastically fragrant things, like cinnamon sticks, orange peels, a bit of sandalwood, or whatever you want your room to smell like.
If you want your flowers to last forever, buy good flowers, take care of them, and dry them. Crafting with dried flowers is an easy way to get the most out of your beautiful blooms.
