How to keep centerpiece flowers from dying quickly?

Austen2010

I am testing out my centerpieces (white carnations and pink daisies) and the flowers I put in yesterday are all practically dead today.

Could it be the vases? Or should I add something besides plant food?

Also, we are getting the buckets of flowers the day before the wedding. Is it okay to cut and group them the night before and place them back in the buckets to be taken to the reception site? TIA!

bbyckes

You should call up a florist and ask them what they use.  I know that when I get flowers delivered, there is a feed packet that comes with them.  You could also do a Google search on "keeping flowers fresh" and see what advice comes up.

Austen2010

I am trying to google answers too. Some sites say to use aspirin, and others sugar. Hmmm... I think I have more experimenting to do. Thank you!

Catwoman708

Most places that sell flowers also give you the packets of floral preservative.  But even without the preservative, daisies and carnations usually last really well, up to a week or more, so I think there's something else going on. 

If you are using GERBER daisies, the stems naturally droop like that, often very quickly, even though the heads may still look nice.  You either have to leave the clear straws on the stems, or wire the stems/head so they don't droop.  Gerbers also drink lots of water, so keep them in water always.  Make the bouquets quickly, and get those stems back in water asap.  They can easily be done a day or two in advance.

To wire the gerber stems, I have the best luck using the skinniest floral wire you can find (at any craft store, the kind on a flat spool), and pushing it down through the head and into the top part of the stem.  Then clip it off as close as possible, so it doesn't show.  Or just wrap the wire around the stem in a spriral, if you don't mind the wire showing.  You can go up through the stem, but it's hard to "feed" the wire that far up, still stay inside the stem, and clip them off without leaving wire sticking out the bottome of the stemm, all without over-handling the flowers.

Any time you buy flowers, keep them cool, and get them in water asap.  Take buckets with a little water and preservative added with you to pick them up. 

As soon as you get them home, trim the ends about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch, on an angle. 

Either refrigerate them, or keep them in a cool dark  location, for an hour, or overnight if possible, to "rest".  If you refrigerate them, make sure there are no fresh fruits of veggies in the same fridge, cover them lightly to keep the draft from the blower off of them, and make sure it's not on the coldest setting.  

If the flowers were refrigerated when you bought them, I think it's better to gradually change them to a cool room temperature so you don't shock them.  Keep them out of hot cars, direct sunlight, or drafts from the heat or cooling.