January 09th, 2017

If you’re having a winter time wedding, it is still possible to make glorious bouquets and arrangements using a range of different flowers. Once the big day is over, you want to keep enjoying your blooms for as long as possible, and here’s how you can do just that. 

Control the temperature 
In the winter, it’s likely that you’ll have the heating on much higher than normal. This will cause your flowers to dry out much too quickly. So, first things first, when you’re deciding where to display your arrangement or bouquet, put it somewhere that’s ideally not near a radiator or other heat source likely to be on for a good portion of the day.
Cooler conditions can help slow down the growth of harmful bacteria and the breakdown of plant tissues. Keeping your flowers in the fridge can help them last a lot longer – but you won’t be able to enjoy their beauty until you grab a snack or two.

Change your water regularly
If you’re keeping your bouquet in a vase, changing the water regularly can go a long way to keeping the petals appearing fresher for longer. You should also make sure you give the flowers plant food regularly.
If you have an arrangement that is set into foam, you need to top up its water daily. If the temperature of the room is a little warmer than usual due to central heating, you might want to do this a little more frequently than you would otherwise.
Another way to keep your flowers looking fresh is to spray them regularly. All you need to do is put some clean water into a spray bottle and give the flowers a spritz fairly regularly throughout the day.

Mix in a homemade solution 
For bouquets and arrangements in a vase, you can also consider adding things to the water to try and slow down the process. Tried and tested combinations include:

• Vodka – Alcohol is known to halt the production of ethylene, the gas that makes your flowers wither and wilt
• Apple cider vinegar with sugar – The sugar provides the flowers with food while the apple cider vinegar wards off bacteria
• Aspirin – Putting an aspirin into the water may also lower its pH and slow the wilting process
• Sprite – Adding sprite to your water can make things more acidic, and the sugar found in the drink makes great food for the plant

All of these are easy to source, and can be useful in making your flowers last for days longer than they would otherwise!