I have a serious passion for fresh flowers, and as much as I dream of a garden over flowering with endless blooms, alas my garden is not such!
As much as I love roses, tulips and peonies they do not have the greatest vase life which has lead me to keeping a more open mind with my flower choices, as they are ultimately a very frivolous investment.
In my endeavour to always have beautiful blooms (aside from my potted flowering plants (A blog for another day)) in my home I have discovered a few flowers that just keep giving and giving, week after week.
Read along and discover my five favourite cut flowers that never disappoint and that will give you weeks of enduring blooms!
One ~ Orchids
There really is nothing quite like orchids for enduring blooms! When in a pot they can give you months and months of breathtaking booms, but today we are looking at cut flowers and they do not disappoint in a vase either!
Singapore orchids look great in dense bunches; I always buy white ones as they work everywhere, from country to city. When blooms start to fade remove them and no one will know that your flowers are weeks old.
Phalaenopsis orchids look amazing when is big bunches in tall simple vases, but they also look great in tall single stem vases too for a modern look.
Look for fresh, plump and healthy looking flowers, give them a trim when you get home and refresh their water every few day and you can expect to get 3 to 4 weeks of beautiful blooms.
Two ~ Hydrangeas
What isn’t there to love about hydrangeas? I love their diverse colours and verities, but what I love most is their long life!
For the longest living blooms cut and crush the bottom of their stems, as hydrangeas are actually more leaf then flower and more bush then shrub crushing their stems allows them to drink up plenty of water.
Hydrangeas look amazing in ceramic vases, both in simple monotone colours as well as vases covered in patterns and prints. I find that gathering them in big bunches gives them the best impact and really makes a statement too.
Pick and buy blooms that look fresh and healthy, hydrangeas can fade quickly if they are not getting enough water, so trim and crush their stems and if needed give them a light spray of fresh water, this will rehydrate the blooms and give them a life of 3 to 4 weeks.
Three ~ Chrysanthemums
In crisp white or the softest pink to deep rusty reds chrysanthemums will bring a classical freshness to your home. With such a long history chrysanthemums can easily be forgotten in our modern lives, but I believe these beautiful booms are the perfect addition to our homes today.
Select large plump round blooms and bunch them tightly for the greatest effect. I love to fill round rose bowls with full bunches of chrysanthemums in all shades as they give every room a chic and fresh classical feel for 2 to 3 weeks
Four ~ Carnations
Often referred to as the poor mans rose, Carnations are anything but in my personal option! From their amazing colour range to enduring vase life what is there not to love I ask you?
Simple arrangements of tonal blooms are absolutely beautiful from mixes of green and white to pink, fuchsia and red. I also love tiny vases scattered down a long table filled with mini bunches of the almost silk like blooms.
Keep your blooms trimmed and vases filled with fresh water and you can expect your carnations to give you 2 to 3 weeks of stunning display!
Five ~ Calla Lilies
Calla Lilies are a flower that I feel can often be forgotten, with their strong sculptural form and minimal look they are a true classic in my opinion.
I love to gather bunches of deep almost black flowers or the whitest of white crisp blooms in short cylindrical vases. They bring a designer minimal tone, which I love to add to more classical spaces for a fresh modern touch.
For weeks and weeks of happy blooms start with taller vases and slowly get to shorter vases as you trim your blooms. This will not only make your flowers happy, but it also gives you the opportunity to display them in many rooms adding a fresh touch to each room for 2 to 3 weeks.
I wanted to share my top 5 long lasting cut flowers as when I was trying to do further research for my own benefit a few years ago, the only places that had any information were online flower growers and florists which have an invested interest in selling more flowers!
I hope that my list is a practical guide to blooms that will give weeks of pleasure; much of my research on long lasting blooms has been a home experiment of trial and error.
My guide is a guide to blooms that are not only beautiful, but flowers that will work for all interior design styles. There are other flowers that will last and last, but I felt that my top five are good all rounders and a great place to start!
Lastly it is very important to trim and give your blooms plenty of fresh water to keep them looking at their best (I have to admit that I can get a little lazy with the trimming and fresh water, but it definitely make an enormous difference to the life of your blooms!).