Rose Care and Tips

Rose Care and Tips Remove any water vials which may have been shipped with your roses. These provide only a temporary water source during delivery. However, do not remove floral wires which may have been attached to individual rose stems. These provide helpful support for some roses.

Remove any leaves which will be below water, being careful not to scrape or cut through the green bark of the stems. Air may enter stems at such injuries, blocking water uptake. Leaves left under water will cause bacteria to develop and will significantly shorten the life of your roses.

Prepare a deep vase or other container with an ample supply of lukewarm water. Avoid water from a water softener. Be sure to use a clean container, and, for best results, include floral preservative, if provided. Mix the preservative with room temperature water, in the proportion recommended on the package. Floral preservative provides sugars, balances pH, and limits bacterial growth.

Fill a sink or wide container with several inches of warm water. While holding each stem under water, cut about one inch diagonally off the end with a sharp knife or shears. Place the roses in your container before the stems dry off.

Gently remove any outermost petals which may have been bruised during shipping. Removing a few petals will not damage a blossom and will often help it open more fully.

Display your roses in a cool location, out of direct sunlight or drafts, and away from electrical appliances (for safety and to avoid heat.) Then, check your arrangement daily to make sure it has plenty of clear, fresh water. If the water appears dirty after a couple of days, replace it completely.

If some roses should start to droop their heads prematurely, it may be due to air trapped in the stems. Recut the stems underwater as described above. Then, let the roses float on the water surface with the stem ends below water and the rose heads in a straightened position. In many cases, the roses will revive and harden within about an hour, ready to be returned to your arrangement.

Avoid keeping your roses near fresh fruit. Ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas which will significantly reduce the life of your roses.

If your roses remain tight and are not blooming, recut them as described above and place them into hot (not boiling) water. You may also place a paper or plastic bag over the roses for an hour or two to encourage the roses to bloom.

Many varieties of roses now bloom very quickly (such as the Bluebird rose) but will stay open anywhere from 5 to 10 days.