Author: Nadine Visscher
If you have very carefully chosen your flowers and you have conditioned them according to directions, why then do you have some flowers that droop the morning before the wedding? This is most likely because there are air locks in the stems which prevent the stems from drinking enough water. This causes the flowers to wilt. After you have paid good money for these flowers, this would not be a welcome sight. You'll want to revive them.
There are different ways of reviving flowers and some flowers respond differently than others, some with more success than others. Since heat and bright light tend to shorten vase life, you will want to revive your flowers in a cool room away from any bright light.
Some flowers are more temperamental than others. Tulips, for example, can be high maintenance and can bend and become less compact very quickly.
- You can fight this by wrapping them tightly with newspaper, covering the stems and the flower heads.
- Place them in a deep container of cool water for 2 hours.
- If the petals start to open too soon, you can gently place a rubber band or tie chenille wire (pipe cleaners) around each bloom during this reviving drink. This will gently hold the bloom to the size that you want it to be.
- If the stems start to droop, you can stop this by pricking each one with a pin just beneath the flower head to release trapped air.
- If the stems are bent beyond repair, you can push a wire through the stem from the base, easing it carefully so that it straightens the stem along its entire length.
There are 4 other ways you can revive other flowers.
- Foliage can be immersed in water for at least 2 hours. This allows the leaves and the stems to drink. Do not use this method with grey or silvery foliage because it can dull their color.
- Put 3 inches of water in your bathtub and float flowers such as roses. This horizontal treatment for roses is preferred because complete submersion will cause the flowers to lose their natural texture.
- Use a spray bottle to lightly mist soft-petaled flower heads (such as irises, violet, and hydrangeas) to increase their water intake. This helps prevent fading and shriveling.
- Fill a tall, long-necked bottle with tepid water and flower preservative. Put your stem into this bottle (after re cutting the stem) to allow the flower to drink through the entire length of the stem. This works with soft-stemmed flowers such as gerberas.
These are just some of the many tricks you can do to revive your flowers. Hopefully these tips will help you through any hurdles you may encounter as you make your own wedding flowers.
About the Author:
Nadine Visscher has arranged flowers for over 15 years and has written The Beginner's Guide to Wedding Flowers found at
www.WeddingFlowerDirections.com