Using Flowers in Your Home

Meghan: Flowers are one of the best decorating accessories but they also have a view one of the hardest to take care especially if you have a black thumb like me. So today, I am here at HD Benken's to learning how to take care of your fresh cut flowers and keep them looking as good for as long as possible. I am hitting the road, searching for answers and finding great design. It is a quest of beauty, function and of course inspiration. I am a pretty bad black thumb. And when I bring home fresh flowers they always seem to die and I am sure I am doing something wrong and I do not know what it is. So, what do you need to do to care for fresh flowers? Vicky: Okay. Meghan, when you get them home, you want to have a vase ready with some lukewarm water in it. Meghan: Is it important that it is lukewarm? Vicky: It is. It helps to absorb into the stems faster if it is lukewarm. Meghan: Really? Vicky: But you do not want too hot and you do not want it too cold, just lukewarm is good. Meghan: And do you need to put food in it? Vicky: Well, if you have some floral preservative that you have been giving. You can go ahead and mix that in. That would be good. Meghan: Now does sprite work? Vicky: It will work you can use sprite if you do not have the floral preservative. A sprite— Meghan: I have also heard the copper coin bleach, all of this other crazy things. Do those really work? Vicky: Yes, bleach will work. You can also just put a little dab of bleach that will work. Meghan: So, how much is safe? Vicky: Just a little drop. Meghan: Really, really tiny. Vicky: Just a small drop. Meghan: Like you are using hot sauce in there, just like the tiny strap? Vicky: That would be perfect. Meghan: But is it better to use the floral food? Vicky: The floral food would be the number one way to go but if you do not, you can use some bleach or you can use a little bit of sprite. Meghan: So, you can just toast that in and it will work? Vicky: That will work. Meghan: All right, so then you come home, you get the lukewarm water and then you put the food in or if you are in a crunch and you need sprite and bleach, what is the next thing you have to do? Vicky: Okay what you want to do is you want to have a sharp knife and then you go and want to put a fresh cut on your flowers. Meghan: All right. Vicky: we will cut the stem. Meghan: How far off do you cut it? Vicky: Well depending on how long you want to leave it in your vase. You would decide the length of the stem that you would want to leave it at and then you going to cut it at a slant. You are going to take your knife and put a nice slant cut on it. Meghan: And do you have to cut that under running water, because I have heard that? Vicky: Years ago, we use to have to do it that way, but it is kind of been proven that that is not really necessary. It used to be that we keep the air bubbles out and make the water go in pass there. So, if you just put a fresh cut on it and add submerse it in the water right away. That is why you want to have your vase with water ready and go ahead and put it right in. Meghan: So, then after you cut it and you put it in and you make your whole entire flower arrangement. Vicky: Yes. Meghan: Then is there any place that you have to put in your house, like I always provide in the sun because I figure that plants need sun. Vicky: That is not the recommended place to put it. That is for sure. Meghan: No way, I am putting it in the wrong place? Vicky: That is the wrong place to put it. Meghan: Oh no, well now you know where my black thumb comes from. Vicky: A little bit a light would be good, but directs sunlight would definitely heat up this arrangement and kill it faster. Meghan: Really? So then where should you put it? Vicky: maybe on a table away from a window would be good and definitely not by a TV where it is also going to get a lot of heat or on top of a refrigerator where there is a lot of heat or near my microwave which is also a lot of heat. Or near air conditioning which would freeze it. So, just on a— Meghan: Just kind of a