Flower Care Tips from Dot Flowers

A Good, Clean Flower Vase Is Easy To Find . . .

• Bacterial growth can strangle the life from your flowers, creating a physical blockage inside the stems that impedes the flowers' ability to take up water. You can start eliminating this problem by washing your vase thoroughly with a disinfectant or anti-bacterial cleaning solution. We've even heard that if you use a bleach solution, simply pour out the excess and allow the vase to dry without rinsing ñ the residue will provide extra protection against bacterial buildup, although it may cause 'scorching' on some delicate petals. If your flowers arrived prearranged in a vase, then you don't have to worry about cleaning it unless the water turns cloudy.
• Be sure you have selected a vase that fits with your arrangement. Flowers should have adequate support without being tightly squeezed. All stems should reach into the water, preferably for about half of their length. Common sense dictates that if you have long, flimsy stems, choose a tall vase that can provide some support for the weight of the blooms.
• If possible, avoid using metal vases ñ they can react with the florist-provided flower preservatives and limit their effectiveness. If you absolutely must use metal, see if you can place a plastic container inside it

After your vase is prepared, you will need to fill it with the kind of water flowers prefer. . .