Fresh Flower Care
The first thing to do is prepare your vase. Choose a suitable size and shape for your arrangement. If you have heavy flowers and stems in the bouquet, for example sunflowers or proteas, then make sure the vase is sturdy enough that it won’t fall over (think short and wide rather than tall and slim!) Similarly, if you have very delicate flowers, choose a vase that will compliment them.
Ensure it is squeaky clean - bacteria from old flowers can live in a vase for a long time. A handy tip when cleaning a vase is to leave it to soak in warm water with a dash of bleach to kill off any nasties hanging around!
Once you have decided on your vase, fill it 3/4 full with fresh, clean water and add the flower food provided.
Now onto the flowers themselves. If your arrangement is in an aqua pack, snip the base of the water bag over a sink to release the water. Remove any leaves that will fall below the water line as these will add bacteria to the water, shortening the life of your flowers.
If your bouquet has been tied, make sure you hold the stems together when cutting the tie as this will help your bouquet keep its shape when you put it in the vase. Trim around 3-5 cm’s off the end of the stems, cutting at a 45 degree angle to ensure that they can get a really good drink. As soon as you have trimmed the stems, get them in the water as quickly as possible.
Flowers like natural light, but not direct sunlight or heat, so keep them away from window sills and radiators. Also, don’t put them too close to the fruit bowl - the gases released by the fruit will make your flowers fade too quickly.
Top up the water if it gets low and refresh it completely every other day, re-cutting the stems each time. If your arrangement is in foam, make sure you add fresh water regularly - never let it dry out.
When a flower has faded, remove it from the vase and rearrange the others. Some of your flowers will last longer than others and we try to include a range in each bouquet so that you can enjoy it for as long as possible!
Dried Flower Care
Don’t be tempted to add water to the vase, or mix them in with fresh blooms in water. Dried flowers hate moisture and the cold. It will make them weak and the stems go mouldy.
A bit like fresh flowers, keep dried blooms out of the sun. Their colour will naturally fade over time, but you can slow this down by keeping them out of direct sunlight.
Dried flowers are fragile and are best placed where they aren’t going to be knocked, moved around a lot or disturbed by small hands or a furry friend!
With the right care, your dried flowers can last for months, if not years!
Plant Care
Keep the compost/soil of your plant moist, but avoid over watering. Plants need natural light so make sure you place it in a spot where it can get plenty of daylight, but out of the direct sun. They don’t like draughts and it’s best to use a coaster if you are placing them on an unprotected surface to avoid scratches and watermarks. Remove faded flowers and leaves in order to prolong flowering and keep your plant happy!
General Care
Always keep flowers and plants out of reach of children and pets. As delicious as they look - they are not edible and some flowers may be poisonous to people and animals. Lily pollen may stain, so handle with care!
Seasonal Wreath Care
For more information on how to care for your Oxford Bloom Wreaths, please visit the special care guide here.