It’s true that most flowers don’t particularly like the heat but it is also true that you can select, prepare and care for many types of fresh cut flowers as the weather in Dubai warms up, after all, summer flowers are a wonderful addition to any home.
Summer Flower Selection
Select a type of summer flower that can cope with the warm weather; from a European perspective these would typically include chrysanthemum, dianthus, lillies, eryngium, statis, wax flower, alstroemeria and craspaedia. Fortunately these types come in lots of different varieties and colours so you shouldn’t have a problem finding a summer flower bouquet that suits your tastes or budget. You also have the option of flower types that originate from warmer climates and of course would generally be more at home in warmer temperatures; examples of these would be proteas that are native to South Africa or orchids (dendrobium in particular) that generally originate in equatorial forests. You will find that these types of more ‘exotic’ summer flowers will generally cost more per stem than the ‘European’ types however whichever type you decide to go with we would always recommend that you buy the best quality and freshest product you can as this is always the best way to maximise your vase life and get the best possible value from your summer flowers.
Careful Preparation
Prepare your summer flowers well, making sure that you have cleaned the stems and removed all / any foliage that may sit below the water line in your vase (this is to retard as far as possible the build of bacteria, the main contributor to shorter vase life). Cut your stems at a 45-degree angle with a sharp knife or scissors and make sure your vase is disinfected and that you have some flower food to add to the water (again, this will help with the retardation of bacteria).
Regular Care
Regularly re-cut and clean your flower stems (we’d recommend at least every couple of days), clean your vase and replace the water (with flower food if you have). To keep your summer flowers extra fresh you can also put ice in the water, this may prove to be very useful if your flowers are in a downstairs room and you switch off the AC at night – the ice will act as a ‘coolant’ overnight.
Location, location, location
Try to keep your flower bouquet away from direct sunlight and any other heat sources and away from ripening fruit – this is particularly important in the summer months as fruit will ripen more quickly giving off ethylene gas which will accelerate the aging of your flower bouquet (this would include apples, bananas, avocados and melons to name a few).
So, while you need to be a bit more attentive over the warmer months there’s no reason why your summer flowers won’t give you good vase life and lots of pleasure!
To view our Summer Collection please click here.
For more information on flower care please click here.
