How to get the best from your flowers

More often than not, flowers are received at times of celebration or sadness, when reading a care card is not at the forefront of your mind. So here are a few tips on the best way to look after flowery gifts for you to soak up now.

1. Enjoy them somewhere out of direct heat and sunlight – while a window ledge is often convenient, if it gets a lot of sun, your flowers might feel like they are trapped in a greenhouse!

2. Change the water regularly, at least every three days. This is not just to replace what they are drinking, but to remove any bacterial build-up which is part and parcel of cut stems. Packaging flowers in a bubble of water is for convenience and transport only – they should be put in a vase as soon as possible because this sealed bag also breeds discontent!

3. If flowers have been out of water when you first receive them, retrim all stem ends with slanting, rather than straight-across cuts before placing in clean water. Do the same when you change the water too.

It's also worth a mention that different flower varieties have different 'shelf-lives' - some will have been placed in your bouquet in nearly full bloom for the immediate wow factor, others will be designed to open over the coming days. Once a flower has faded, it is best to remove it from your display to prevent it's natural decay from affecting the other flowers. Unless otherwise stated, greenery intends for flowers to bring you at least 5 days of gorgeousness.

Sometimes the materials used are designed to last far longer - twiggy stems (furry pussy willow or twisted hazel maybe) can be enjoyed long after the other flowers are a distant memory, and other decorative items can be reused in other ways (ribbon and paper for wrapping presents, jam jar vases for your own garden cuttings or foraged finds).

Hopefully it won’t be too long before someone next surprises you with a beautiful bouquet.