Newcastle Fruit & Flowers Resources

How to care for your fresh flowers

Flowers should be carefully packed when they are taken home, as this prevents damage to flowers or stems

Place the flowers (while still in their wrapping) in fresh water to allow them to drink

Make sure the flowers are put into a clean vase

The flowers will last longer if you use cut flower food. Make sure you use the correct amount!

Before arranging the flowers in a vase, cut off approximately an inch from each stem – preferably at an angle

Stems should never be broken off or flattened – not even “woody stems”. Scraping off the bark will also shorten the flower life

Leaves should never be covered with water as they will only make it dirty, and this will decrease the longevity of the flowers

Regularly top up the vase with clean water

At night, flowers prefer to be kept cool and they will benefit from a lower thermostat setting

Daffodils can be deadly to other flowers because they secrete a poison in the water. After trimming, leave them on their own for a whole day and do not cut again before combining them with other flowers. However, a special cut flower food is available for daffodils and this enables them to be mixed with other cut flowers immediately

Flowers do not like direct sunlight or draughts. Also keep them away from fruit, as it lets off a gas called ethylene which accelerates the aging process of flowers