How to make fresh flowers last, according to Melbourne florist Kayla Moon

“They have been through many rough and loving hands to get to you. From grower to market, to wholesaler to florist.”

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that fresh flowers enhance and elevate whatever room you place them in, and by extension, your life. There’s just something so invigorating yet grounding about bringing the outdoors inside.

But in a cost of living crisis where many of us are feeling the financial crunch, if we’re shelling out on fresh flowers we want to get as much time out of them as possible. No one knows this better than Melbourne-based florist Kayla Moon, the founder of Xflos, who treats her creations with as much TLC as possible to ensure they last the distance.

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So what are the tricks of the trade that extend the life of your bouquet? Is the type of vase you choose of any importance, and how often should we be changing the water? With these and a few more questions in mind, we picked Kayla’s brain on all the most effective ways to make fresh flowers last.

Choosing the right type of flowers

The right type of flower depends on the environment, however generally (outside of extreme interior heating or cooling conditions) tropical flowers, bulbs and foliage will be your longest-lasting. So things like anthuriums, orchids, tulips, lilies and gladioli will have the longest shelf life.

A few other sneaky hardy girls will also last well. Look for a woody thick stem and you will probably get a longer shelf life too, like sedum, sunflowers and amaranthus.

If you can’t get them home quickly, what should you do?

Wrap the bottoms in wet tissue and ask for a small plastic cup or bucket to keep those honeys drinking. Or keep them in a cool dark place, out of the sun.

Trimming

A daily stem cut will eliminate the bacteria that forms on the bottom of a stem and refresh its ‘mouth’ so it’s ready to drink as much as it would like for the day. Put them on an angle for the best little stem suction.

Changing the water

Change it every day if you can be bothered – fresh water is best. Some flowers like more water and some drown, so learn the flower’s name and look up how much water they like too.

Do you need to feed them?

I don’t personally think this works, but hey, give it a go. Mostly I think these [products] are single-use plastics/chemicals that old-school florists use to make an extra buck.

Vase selection

You want to opt for something that supports the stem and weight of the flower head. As the flowers get comfortable they may move/change/grow and you want something that can support that. This is something you can intuitively eyeball.

Room temperature

Again, tropicals will hate aircon and other flowers will love aircon, so every variety is a bit different.

Anything else to add?

Love and appreciate your blooms sick. They have been through many rough and loving hands to get to you. From grower to market, to wholesaler to florist.

You can find out more about Kayla and Xflos here.