Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

Four important steps to follow for cut flowers:

1. Cut flower stems slantwise or straight across with a sharp knife.  Never use shears.  Remove any foliage below the water line.


2. Place flower stems in water as hot as hands can stand, and set in a cool place for an hour or two.  Then arrange, using fresh cool water in your vase or container.


3. Place the flowers in a cool location, away from heat and drafts.  Keep them in a cool place overnight.


4. If you use special cut flower preservatives that prolong the life or flowers and arrest bacterial action in the water, just add water to the container as needed.  If you don't use preservatives, the following should be done every day: Change water, scrub container clean, cut the flower stems with a sharp knife.

Flowering plants need good light, moderate temperatures, reasonable humidity, uniform moisture in soil, and a little fertilizer occasionally.

• Flowering plants need all the sunshine that can be provided in your home, particularly in winter.  Place them near an east or south window.


• Most flowering plants grow best at night temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees, and day temperatures of 65 to 70 degrees.  DON'T place them over radiators.  Keep them out of drafts.


• Keep humidity in room as high as possible.  Increase humidity around the plant by placing it in a plant box or jardiniere filled with moist peat moss.


• Inspect soil daily and add water when it starts to dry out.  When watering, wet the soil all the way down.


• If you keep flowering plants longer than six to eight weeks, some plant food should be added.  Follow directions on the fertilizer package.

• Place foliage plants in or near a window where they will receive good light during part of the day.  Most plants do not like the intensely bright sunshine of mid-summer.  They thrive near a south or east window during the fall, winter and spring months.  If you cannot place them near a window, use artificial lights over them.


• Keep the soil moist.  Examine it once a week.  When it starts to dry out, add enough water to wet the soil all the way to the bottom of the pot.  Be sure that any excess water is drained off.


• Most foliage plants thrive best at night temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees, and day temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees.


• Since the amount of soil and fertility available in a small pot is limited, small quantities of plant food are desirable at three or four week intervals, used according to directions on package.

Body Flowers (corsages) can be worn on the wrist or in the hair.  Wear them on a collar, on the waist, or on the shoulder.  Wear them on a purse.  But remember, always wear them the way the flowers grow: Blossoms up, stems down.

Guard your flowers carefully against sudden exposures to cold air.  In very cold weather, carry your Body Flowers in the box.  Put them on after you arrive at the festivities.  And remember, too much handling bruises delicate petals and stems.

To keep your Body Flowers fresh and bright for a second day, cover with wet cotton or a thin wet cloth and refrigerate in the florist's box.  (Orchids are the exception.  Unwind the stem wrapping and place the orchid stem in water.  Keep in a cool place, out of drafts, but not in the refrigerator.)