Spring and summer are the seasons for the best flowers, the most spectacular blooms, for weddings and proms and outdoor events. But with our climate warming up, those seasons are getting a bit HOT! We all love to place a vase of flowers on a table or window sill in a nice sunny place, but sadly that could be a disaster for your newly delivered subscription flowers or specially presented gift bouquet! Flowers generally don’t like direct sunlight, and like all of us, they need to drink.

So on receiving your gift bouquet:

Take it out of its wrapping (lovely though that is) and recut the stems at an angle of 45 degrees using sharp scissors – don’t crush the stems!

Your florist has probably supplied flower food – use that with fresh water

Slightly warmer water rather than ice cold can help to speed up the water uptake by the flower

Keep your flowers out of the direct sunlight, in fact choose a nice cool spot in a draught free area

Keep your flowers away from fruit too! Ripening fruit emits a gas called ethylene which could prematurely age your flowers

Remove faded flowers or foliage as soon as they develop

Change the vase water at least once a week and don’t forget to top water up regularly