Flowers make your home smell amazing and are so visually beautiful.  I use a lot of flowers for my styling and are constantly buying them.  Almost once a week I visit the florist and now they know me by name.  I’m not good at keeping plants alive but I seem to have a knack with flowers.

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If your flowers don’t come with a sachet of preservative then a homemade mix is an excellent substitute.

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As soon as you get your cut flowers home it’s best to get them into water.  That way they will last longer and will hopefully look alive and healthy for more that a couple of days.  They do however need a nutritional supplement to survive and thrive and this mix needs to be added to the water.

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Sugar is a source of food for flowers, but sugar will encourage the growth of microorganisms in the water, so a biocide, such as bleach, is required to keep this under control. Lastly, citric acid reduces the pH level of tap water, allowing stems to take up liquid.

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How To Make Cut Flowers Last

The Formula

  • 1L water
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 1/4 tsp bleach (an eyedropper is handy here)
  • 2 tsp of lemon juice

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Combine all the ingredients and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.  I always trim my flowers again and on an angle before arranging them in a vase.  Do this every couple of days to really get the most out of your bunch.

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Happy styling.

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