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Frequently Asked Questions


How do I take care of my roses?

There are 3 steps.

Step 1- Use a clean vase. If you use the vase often for cut flowers, then you want to put it through the dishwasher (careful - don't crack the glass) or wash it with soapy water, rinse, then splash some chlorox in it, and rinse again.

Step 2- Fill the vase ~ to 2/3 full with hot water from the tap. Careful- not so hot that you crack the vase, but as hot as the water that you wash pots and pans with. Then add the flower food that we provide.

Step 3- Trim and cut the stems one at a time. Trim means to remove the leaves that would be in the water. They will get soggy after a few days, so remove them. Next cut the stem on a diagonal with a knife, that is best, or kitchen scissors to the length you like. If the thorns are a problem, use a kitchen towel or glove to hold them. As soon as the stem is cut, place it immediately in the water. No delays because the tip of the stem will start to air dry which means the stem may not draw water or get an air bubble.

Why do people tell me to use cold water?

When flowers come out of the greenhouse or a garden or even if you carry them home in very hot weather, they are hot. Flowers want to be 60 to 70 degrees not 80, 90 or 100. So to cool down, they transpire a lot of water. After a certain point they run out of free water, and start to wilt. They are not dead at this point, just soft. So you want to condition and hydrate your flowers by plunging them up to their buds in cold water and leaving them there for 20-30 minutes. You can lay them in the sink or put them in a bucket, just leave the buds out. Later, follow the 3 steps for taking care of your roses.

Which flowers get hot water and which get cool water?

Flowers with woody stems, like roses and hydrangea, are placed in hot water. Flowers with softer, herbaceous stems like dahlias, anemones, and sweet peas are placed in slightly warm water. It is all physics. Woody stems use hot water because it drives into the stem better and reduces the chance for air bubbles.

Why do I cut the stem on a diagonal?

If you cut the stem straight across, you may block the flow of water into the stem when it touches the bottom of the vase. Physiologically, it makes no difference how you cut the stem. The area available to take up water remains the same.