Dispelling Old Wives’ Tales: The Floral Edition
You know that saying, “If I had a nickel?” Well, if I had a nickel for every time someone asked me if any number of floral-themed old wives’ tales were true, then I’d be a very rich woman.
It’s no surprise that there are so many of these tales circulating, some of which you probably heard from your grandmother and beyond. We’re setting the record straight on what works and what absolutely doesn’t when handling fresh flowers.
Tale 1: Put a penny in your vase and your flowers will have magical powers (or something like that).
False. (But, probably was true once upon a time.) Back in the day, before 1982, pennies were made of solid copper which is a natural fungicide. Because of this, years ago, pennies were often thrown in vases to keep bacteria at bay. Nowadays, pennies are no longer made of copper and are generally covered in bacteria and grime and should definitely not find a home in your flower arrangements.
Tale 2: Drop an aspirin in your vase to keep your flowers alive longer.
False. Been there, tried it, and got the t-shirt. We’ve tested this one and have deemed it to be not true. Aspirin has no effect on the longevity of flowers.
Tale 3: Store your flowers in the refrigerator to keep them fresh longer.
False, and also makes me cringe. Your home fridge is different than a floral cooler in nearly every way. It’s colder, dryer, and more prone to temperature spikes and drops. It also houses all sorts of fruits and veggies that let off invisible gasses as they ripen that will age your flowers. The cringe part? I once had a bride pick up an entire wedding's worth of beautiful flowers only to freeze every last bloom in her home fridge. Play it safe, and keep flowers far away from your fridge.
Tale 4: You have to cut your flowers underwater.
True(ish). In a dream world, yes, we would cut all of our stems underwater so they start drinking immediately upon cutting. Practically speaking, and when handling multiple stems, this isn’t necessary. The bigger picture: get your blooms in water within 20 seconds after cutting, and before your stems start to close.
Tale 5: Put Sprite in your vase.
False. I can see where someone was going with this one, but it gets a big thumbs-down from our floral team. While sugar is one of the key ingredients in those flower little packets that are tucked into your grocery store bouquets, soda is sure to overload your vase with too much sugar creating a tough environment for your flowers to thrive. More important? Just make sure your flowers are getting fresh water daily.
Tale 6: Bananas kill flowers.
True. Ripe fruits, and especially bananas give off an invisible ethylene gas that causes flowers to age more quickly. It’s always best to distance flowers away from ripening produce.
For best results with keeping your flowers happy and alive, we recommend sticking to the basics: clean, fresh water daily and keep the blooms far away from sun and heat. Cheers to gardening season, and enjoying all the pretty blooms on the horizon. Just say no to pennies and Sprite, friends!
