Care Instructions
Before you receive your bouquet or houseplant, it’s worth taking a moment to learn about how to care for this new addition. While many flowers and plants require similar care, some items will benefit from unique care practices. Fortunately, we’re going to cover the basics of how to care for popular cut flowers and potted plants.
General Bouquet Care
While each flower is beautiful in its own right, many types of flowers benefit from similar care. Here are some bouquet care tips to keep in mind when you bring a bouquet into your home.
Give the Stems a Fresh Cut
Try not to let your stems dry out. When this happens, the flowers may have a difficult time taking up water. But don’t worry — you just need to give the stems a trim! Use a sharp pair of pruning shears or scissors to give the end of each stem a fresh 45º degree cut. You’ll want to remove at least half an inch, but you can also remove more. Remove any leaves that fall below the water line to prevent bacteria.
Use Fresh Water and Flower Food
In case it’s not obvious, you’ll need to give your flowers water to drink! Make sure to use a clean vase to help prevent the spread of disease and fill the vase about halfway with water. Before you place your bouquet in the vase, add some of the flower food packet that comes included. This will help your flowers stay hydrated and prevent the buildup of bacteria. Remember to save some of the flower food for when you change the water in the vase. It’s a good practice to change the water every two to three days. This will remove any bacteria that can cause your flowers to wilt prematurely. When you change the water, add some new flower food. You can purchase flower food at your local Wal-Mart or general store.
Keep Out of Direct Light and Away From Heat
It’s best to display your bouquet in a cool area out of direct sun. While many growing flowers will benefit from bright sunlight, this intense light can damage cut flowers. If possible, store your bouquet somewhere cool. However, if your home is on the warmer side, just make sure to keep the bouquet away from both hot and cold drafts. And if you’d really like to extend the life of your bouquet, pop it in the refrigerator at night then remove in the morning.
Stay Clear of Fruits
Before you place your bouquet right next to a fruit basket filled with apples and bananas, take a moment to learn a bit about ethylene. This gaseous plant hormone acts to speed up flowering and/or fruit ripening. While ethylene itself isn’t necessarily bad, exposing your bouquet to ethylene can cause your flowers to decline more quickly. Therefore, keep your flowers away from ethylene-producing fruits such as apples, bananas, mangos, peaches, and pears.
General Care Instructions for Plants
Just like when you receive a bouquet, you’ll want to bring your plant inside as soon as you can. Once it’s inside, check to see if the soil is dry. If the top few inches are dry to the touch, go ahead and water. At this point, you can place your plant in a proper environment.
Peace Lillies
Peace lilies thrive in consistently moist soil as well as high humidity. Use a potting mix that holds moisture but also allows excess water to escape. These plants can be a bit sensitive to minerals found in tap water, so it’s best to use rainwater or distilled water.
Water: Aim to keep the soil moist but not wet; water every one to two weeks
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Pets: Keep away from pets
Ficus Plants
To keep these plants happy, keep the temperature above 65ºF and use a soil mix that allows excess water to drain.
Water: Allow soil to dry between waterings; water about every two weeks
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Pets: Moderately toxic to pets
Schefflera Plants
Water: Water regularly during the growing season and spray the leaves with water frequently. Wait until the soil in the pot dries out and then give it a deep and thorough soaking. Cut back on water during the winter months. Overwatering a Schefflera plant will eventually kill it. Yellow and dropped leaves are a sign that you might be watering too much.
Light: Schefflera prefers bright, indirect light. In the summer, move potted plants outside where they will receive bright light but not direct sun, such as under a patio cover. A Schefflera plant that gets leggy or floppy might not be receiving enough light. Never place a Schefflera in direct, full sunlight because the intense sun can burn the leaves.
Pets: Keep away from pets
Tall Tail (Pony Tail Palm)
Although this plant has palm in its name, it’s actually a type of succulent! That means it can handle a fair bit of drought but not wet soil!
Water: Water about once every two weeks
Light: Bright indirect light
Pets: Not toxic for pets
Super Teak (Calathea Medallion)
As a type of prayer plant, the calathea medallion thrives in high humidity. If you have a dry home, you may need to boost the air moisture with a humidifier. These plants can also be sensitive to minerals in tap water, so use rainwater or filtered water.
Water: Keep soil moist but not saturated; water about once a week
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Pets: Not toxic for pets
Philodendron
Like many houseplants, the philodendron likes a well-draining soil mix. To keep the plant happy, allow the soil to dry out in between waterings.
Water: Water every one to two weeks
Light: Medium to bright indirect light
Pets: Keep away from pets
Oasis (Snake Plant)
One of the easiest to care for houseplants, snake plants can tolerate a wide variety of light conditions as well as periods of drought. With that said, use a well-draining potting mix and err on the side of underwatering.
Water: Allow the top half of the soil to dry in between watering
Light: Prefers bright to medium indirect light but can tolerate low light
Pets: Keep away from pets
Orchid
This flowering plant will perform best when it’s planted in a mix that’s designed specifically for orchids. This chunky mix mimics the orchid’s natural environment and allows excess water to escape.
Water: Thoroughly soak once a week and then allow to drain
Light: Bright yet indirect light
Pets: Potentially less toxic for pets
Anthurium (Flamingo) Plant
As a tropical plant, the anthurium loves humidity, but moderate humidity will suffice. If your house is extremely dry, consider buying a humidifier to help. Keep the temperature above 65ºF and use a well-draining soil mix.
Water: Water when the top half of soil is dry, about every one to two weeks
Light: Bright yet indirect light
Pets: Keep away from pets
Dish Garden
Stick your finger into the soil an inch twice a week to understand. If the soil feels dry, gently drizzle some water into all areas of the container. If the soil still feels moist, wait another day or two and check it again. If you think you’ve watered too much, after letting the water filter in for a minute or two, tip the container sideways over a sink and let the extra water run out.
Water: 1-2 times per week
Light: Bright, yet indirect light
Pets: Not toxic to pets
Hydrangeas
Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot your hydrangea came in, keeping in mind that you want to leave enough space in the garden for the hydrangea to mature to its full size. Add a small amount of high-phosphorus fertilizer to the bottom of the hole, then remove the plant from its container and slightly loosen the roots with your fingers. Place the plant in the hole, making sure that the crown of the plant (where the base of the stem meets the soil) is even with the ground level. After you put the hydrangeas in the ground, cover them with soil and water. Hydrangeas prefer loamy (mixture of sand and silt with a bit of clay) and moist soil, so make sure you frequently check it the first season or two to ensure that it isn’t dry or soaking wet.
Water: Atleast 3 times per week
Light: Partial shade preferred
Pets: Poisonous to pets if ingested