Your Ultimate Guide to Summer Flower Care
Summer is considered peak flower season by most, bringing with it an abundance of diverse blooms in all shapes and colours. It’s a great time to fill every corner of your home with gorgeous floral displays. But the higher temperatures make keeping your flowers looking fresh and healthy in a vase a little trickier.
Fret not, however, for we have compiled … our ultimate Freddie’s guide on how to keep flowers fresh during summer!
What to do when your flowers first arrive
When your flower box arrives, it’s key that you get those precious stems in water ASAP. But before you do that, it’s vital that you give them a good, sharp snip, as freshly trimmed stems absorb water more efficiently.
Hydration is essential, as flowers drink more water during warmer months. Our pro tip is to snip each flower as you arrange it, so that they’re immediately taking in water and the stem doesn’t seal over.
How often should you change flower water in summer?
Hydration in the hot temperature is a must for your flowers to ensure they don’t wilt. Refreshing your vase water is therefore the MOST important step to make the most out of your arrangement, especially as those pesky bacteria love the heat and will grow faster in your vase water if left unchecked!
We recommend to do the following every 2 days:
- Take all of your stems out of your vase
- Clean out the vase & refill with fresh water
- Add in some more flower food, as this will also help against bacterial growth in vase water
- Recut all stems you’ve taken out & pop them back into your vase immediately after trimming
*Pro tip*
If you’re snipping your stems shorter, you can arrange them in a lower vase, like our Cut Down Vase for a nice look!
Where to place flowers during hot weather
Got a favourite corner for your vase? You may have to slightly rethink it for the summer months, as flower placement in the heat is key to extending the vase life as much as possible.
The essential tips here are keeping your flowers away from direct sunlight (so no bright windowsills in the scorching summer sun, please!), as well as fruit bowls, because these can prematurely age your flowers and make them wilt faster.
Pick the coolest room in your house for your vase to keep your flowers fresh longer. A bathroom is usually a good shout. Now while that may not be where you want to display your flowers (unless you really like hanging out in your bathroom), it’s a good trick to keep them in there, while you’re out enjoying the sun - and then just pop them back to where you can enjoy their sights when you’re spending time inside at home.
The best vase for flowers in warm weather
Another key factor for keeping flowers fresh is air circulation between stems. If you’re overcrowding your vase, especially in hot summer weather, the stale air and trapped moisture become the ideal breeding ground for bacteria, mould, and mildew.
Therefore, make sure that you’re choosing a large vase, especially one that doesn't have a thin neck where all stems are stuffed in together. If you don’t have a big vase, split up your arrangement into multiple smaller bunches, using just a few stems per vessel. We also have a whole guide on choosing the right vase to give you some more inspo.
Follow all of our expert tips and you’ll be able to enjoy your flowers for as long as possible during the summer months! We also have a handy guide on preserving flowers, so why not get creative and try out some different styles to make them last even longer than they would in your vase?
