When you receive your hand tied Bouquet

If you receive a hand tied bouquet, you may prefer to leave in the wrapping and the box.If you prefer to do this, it is essential for you to keep the water bag topped up as flowers and foliage are very thirsty, especially in a warm home.

Our homes our very warm, keep in a cool place and do not place near a radiator or TV or in a bright window.

After a few days if your flowers look a little wilted, you may need to re-cut the stems and use the flower food as per guide.

You may prefer to remove them from the box and take the wrapping off to place in a vase. On doing this, it is best to keep the inside tie intact as this keep the flowers in the style they were created for you.

Re-cut your stems and make sure the water in your container is always clean. It is useful to use the flower food and guide provided.

Remove any dead heads as the bouquet matures or remove the whole stem from the bouquet. You may need to untie at this stage.

When you receive your traditional bouquet or wrap

Open up your beautiful wrap and look at the flowers and decide which vases will suit them best. You may prefer to use several vases, put the shorter flowers in the some fine vases and use the bigger vases for the more substantial blooms.

• Re-cut all the stems about 1/2 an inch and at a 45 degree angle
• Make sure all foliage below the water level is removed
• Make sure the vase is very clean
• make sure you do not over fill the vase as the flowers need to have space around each floral head so they can breathe and so you can see them for their beauty
• Flowers can be very thirsty especially in our very warm homes and drink more water than in the natural outside. Keep the vase topped up.
• When using the flower food it is best to follow the instructions on the packet. It is actually more harmful to use too strong a solution than no flower food at all.
• Arrange your flower according to where you will be placing them. if they are going to be central you will need to view them all around. If the flowers are going up against the wall you may consider placing them slightly differently.
• You may consider using foliage you may have in the garden to help create the structure
• enjoy making your creations, then stand back and admire your fantastic handy work.
• Our homes our very warm, keep in a cool place and do not place near a radiator or TV or in a bright window.
• REMEMBER keep the water topped up and clean

Caring for your Roses

Roses are risky little florals and behave rather badly sometimes ! You have to treat them with a little respect and understanding to make sure you see their full potential.

If roses have been presented to you in a hand tied aqua design, then make sure you keep the water level topped up. Roses will drink you under a table.....

If your roses are simply wrapped in paper here are a few tips

• Re-cut your stems at a 45 degree angle. This creates bigger surface area for the water to get up the very woody stem.
• Remove all leaves below the water level.
• Do not allow the roses to hang about for a while before putting in the water. Cut them and put straight into the vase
• Use the flower food according to the product information.
• If your roses heads droop after a short time of having received them, there are a few simple steps to revive them. This will only help if the roses are not aged or you've had them over a week, at this stage they may be old
• Our homes our very warm, keep in a cool place and do not place near a radiator or TV or in a bright window.

1. Remove the rose from the vase and re-cut the stem at an angel as before
2. Wrap the rose in a tube of paper so the head is in the paper and holds it up straight.
3. The rose head has an air lock just in the neck and it is too heavy to lift, the paper splint will help to unblock the air lock.
4. Some people advise using hot water. DO NOT risk this as it may burn the stems. Use a tepid water to increase osmosis speed.
5. After several hours, unwrap the rose/s to see if the airlock has moved, if not re-wrap until the next day, if you are successful you can put her back with her friends.
6. Roses if cared for properly can last for 7/8 days and have been know to last 14 if very cool. Just enjoy the time you have with them.

Caring for your spring flowers

Iris, Daffodils and Tulips

• Your Iris's will last better if kept in a cool area. They will not bloom for long but all the time they do, they are absolutely beautiful. The heads will appear from the calyx covering them and slowly unfold.
• Daffodils are best on their own and do not need flower food. They have enough in their own stems. Often you can see a very sticky, slimy residue coming out of the bottom of the stems, this is very strong and can be an irritant. Make sure you wash your hands after handling the flowers and try not to touch your face. (The bulbs are poisonous if ingested). As soon as you place the blooms in a small amount of water they will start to open. If you want to mix daffodils with other flowers, let them drink their own water for a few hours before you mix with anything else.
• Tulips are phototropic and will grow towards the light. They will also grow another 10cm from being picked. As soon as they are placed in water they start to move. It is rather fantastic to watch. If you just place in a vase of water,over the following days you will see that they will move towards the light in the room. Tulips do not need flower food but can cope with it. Tulips can be an irritant.

Caring for you with your lilies

Your lilies are a magnificent statement and make the house smell divine. Personally I love to see the pollen filled anthers on a lily as this is what makes them look distinctive, but this is the part that can cause all sorts of problems.

• When you lilies first open up you will notice the pollen sacs (Anthers) will not be powdery, the pollen is inside the anthers. This is the best time to remove them. You can gently pull the wobbly anthers off.
• If the pollen is already opened up on the anthers you may find it will stain. Still gently remove with your fingers, but it will leave a yellow/orange stain on your hands. Wash off as soon as possible. Try not to rub off clothes, it is best to brush off with a soft bristled brush or use cellotape.
• If you have pets make sure they are kept way from the pollen. Remove as soon as you can.