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Cut Flower Care

How to Care for Cut Flowers

Cutting Tools and Techniques

  • Carefully unpack the flowers upon arrival, some flowers bruise easily.
  • Start with only clean vases or containers.
  • Keep the flowers in a cool and well-ventilated spot out of direct sunlight and away from heat. As a general rule of thumb: the cooler the temperature, the slower the flowers will open and the longer they will last.
  • Change the water every 2 or 3 days – do not just top it off. This is the single most effective thing you can do to keep your flowers looking fresh. We highly recommend you clean the vase and re-cut the stems every time you change the water.
  • Avoid placing flowers near heating or cooling vents, under ceiling fans or on the tops of televisions or radiators (placing flowers on or near these objects can cause the flower to become dehydrated).
  • Keep cut flowers away from: cigarette smoke, paint fumes, hairspray, exhaust fans, and ripe fruit, which releases a gas that causes flowers to age faster.

Cutting Tools and Techniques

  • Always use clean, sharp utensils when cutting flowers. Knives, clippers, or shears should be used rather than household scissors. Using scissors will crush their vascular systems and prevent proper water uptake.
  • Cut the flower stem and immediately place it in a vase of water. Flower and foliage stems that have been left out of water, even for a short period, seal up and inhibit the absorption of water.
  • Cut all flowers and foliage about one inch from the bottom of a main stem. Make the slice at a 45 degree angle. This provides a larger exposed area for the uptake of water, and enables the stem to stand on a point, allowing water to be in contact with the cut surface. Remove lower foliage that would be in water. This will retard bacterial growth, which shortens the vase life of flowers and makes the water smell foul.
  • Remove lower foliage that will be in water. This will retard bacterial growth, which shortens the vase life of flowers and makes the water smell foul.

Water Temperature

  • Use lukewarm water (100 F) for cut flowers. (An exception is bulb flowers, such as hyacinths and tulips, which need cold water.) Flowers absorb warm water quicker than cold water.  However, it can take up to 12 hours to hydrate properly after shipping.
  • A wilted flower means the flower is simply not getting water.  If this happens, RE-CUT the stem at a 45 degree angle with a sharp knife or clipper.  Place in deep warm water until crisp and hydrated – 3 to 4 hours- works great on roses and hydrangeas.

Preservatives

  • Using a preservative to increases the longevity of cut flowers is suggested.

Special Care Tips

Roses

  • Before placing roses in water, trim the stems and carefully remove any loose or discolored outer petals. As each rose opens, carefully remove unsightly petals.
  • Do not expose fresh cut flowers to freezing temperatures.
  • Re-cut the stems and change the water every 2 to 3 days or as needed.

Oriental Lilies & Asiatic Lilies

  • Cut the stems about an inch up from the bottom and place them in water.
  • As the blooms open, remove the stamens (little pollen sacks) so that they do not stain the flower, furniture or clothes.
  • Re-cut the stems and change the water every 2 to 3 days or as needed.

Calla Lilies

  • Sometimes Calla Lilies are shipped with plastic sleeves around the flower heads. Carefully remove the plastic sleeves upon arrival.
  • When calla lilies arrive, it is not uncommon for all the flowers in a bunch to bend in the same direction. Place the flowers in bunches of 10 stems and turn the calla lilies so that the blooms are all bending out in different directions. Secure each bunch with rubber bands placed at the bottom, in the middle and near the top of the stem. This simple procedure will ensure that your calla lilies will stand tall and strong when put out for display.
  • Once in bunches, trim the stems about  an  inch up from the bottom with a sharp knife at a 45 degree angle and place the bunch in water.
  • From time to time the small tips (the curly-Q’s) of the calla lilies will turn brown. This is a normal occurrence. When this happens, simply trim the tip (curly-Q) at an angle right below where it begins to turn brown.
  • Re-cut the stems and change the water every 2 to 3 days or as needed.

Fresh Rose Petals

  • Avoid two things: moisture and freezing temperatures.
  • Our fresh rose petals are packed in bags of roughly 1,000 petals. When you receive the bags, carefully open one end of the bag, fold a paper towel in half and slide it inside the bag between the bag and the rose petals. Flip the bag over and repeat the process (you will essentially be lining the inside of the bag with paper towels). The paper towels will catch any condensation, which may form and will help to insulate the rose petals.
  • Store fresh rose petals in a refrigerator; however, keep them away from  cold areas. If fresh rose petals look as if they are drying out, remove them from the refrigerator and store them in a cool spot out of sunlight and away from heat (such as in the garage or basement) in the box they came in.

Dendrobium Orchids

  • The stems of Dendrobium Orchids need to be re-cut to encourage water uptake. Once the stems are cut and you have placed the flowers in water, you will see a dramatic improvement in their appearance as the flowers perk up and continue to open.
  • Re-cut the stems and change the water every 2 to 3 days or as needed.
  • If you have to transport Dendrobium Orchids any great distance you can re-charge the water tubes. Simply submerge the water tube it in a bucket of water and shake it. The tube will re-fill with water. Cut the stem about 1/2 inch from the bottom, and replace the water tube on the bottom of the stem.

Hydrangea

  • Hydrangeas are very water-sensitive flowers.
  • Cut about 1/2 inch up from the bottom of the stem UNDER WATER (either submerged or under running water). Promptly place the flower in clean water.
  • It is essential that these flowers be kept in water. If you remove the Hydrangea from water, it will show fatigue quickly.
  • Re-cut the stems and change the water every 2 to 3 days, or as needed.
  • If your Hydrangea starts to shrivel, re-cut the stem and submerge the entire flower in water. It will rehydrate in no time.

View a printable version on Cut Flower Care.

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English Garden Nurseries & Garden Centers Serve the Greater Clinton Twp., Dearborn Heights, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, Eastpointe, and Plymouth Ann Arbor Michigan Areas

Providing garden centers complete with full service landscaping, seasonal holiday stores including their enchanting Christmas Stores, and most locations even offer a full service in house florist

English Gardens Detroit MI area nurseries & garden centers are not only the areas largest garden nurseries, but they offer the largest selection of products and services found anywhere in the Clinton Twp., Dearborn Heights, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, Eastpointe, and Plymouth Ann Arbor Michigan regions providing full service garden centers, full service landscaping and landscape design, seasonal holiday stores including their enchanting Christmas Stores, the largest selection of Patio Furniture in Michigan, and most locations even offer a full service in house florist for flower arrangements for every day as well as those special occasions such as wedding flowers, event flowers, sympathy and funeral flower arrangements, prom flowers, and more!

Our nurseries and garden centers have the areas largest selection of plants, flowers, shrubs, annuals, perennials, and patio furniture. Garden supplies are in abundance, with everything from garden tools and accessories, to garden and potting soil, mulches, bagged garden stone, pots and so much more. We have everything you need for your outdoor gardening needs.

Landscaping? Count on the professional landscape contractors and designers at English Gardens to Make Your Property Beautiful! We offer both DIY landscaping assistance and full service landscape design and construction with our in house landscaping company.

Our floral designers can create perfect floral arrangements for weddings, events, funerals, proms and the like. Make the moment beautiful.

Our Christmas Stores in addition to being one of the areas best holiday experiences, are filled with live and life-like artificial Christmas trees, including flocked artificial Christmas trees, and those sometimes hard to come by 9 foot flocked artificial Christmas trees, as well as a large, ready to take home inventory, of 3 foot artificial Christmas trees, 4 foot artificial Christmas trees, 5 foot artificial Christmas trees, 7.5 foot artificial Christmas trees, 9 foot artificial Christmas trees and 12 foot artificial Christmas trees, and all of the other holiday items you need like Christmas lights, decorations, Christmas wreaths & garland of all types, and unique gifts. Make the Holiday beautiful!

English Gardens store by store offerings in the Clinton Twp., Dearborn Heights, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, Eastpointe, and Plymouth Ann Arbor Michigan areas;

Clinton Twp. Garden Centers:

Dearborn Heights Garden Center:

Royal Oak Garden Center:

West Bloomfield Garden Center:

Eastpointe Garden Center:

Plymouth Ann Arbor Garden Center:

Be sure to visit any one of our Garden Centers for the largest selection of products and services the area has to offer. If you have any questions please call one of our stores directly in Clinton Twp., Dearborn Heights, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, Eastpointe, and Plymouth Ann Arbor Michigan for friendly, prompt help.

Clinton Township, MI

Address
44850 Garfield Rd. at Hall Rd.
Clinton Twp., Michigan 48038

Phone Numbers
Phone: (586) 286-6100
Fax: (586) 286-0033

Dearborn Heights, MI

Address
22650 Ford Rd. at Outer Dr.
Dearborn Heights, Michigan 48127

Phone Numbers
Nursery: (313) 278-4433
Florist: (313) 565-8133
Fax: (313) 278-0459

Eastpointe, MI

Address
22501 Kelly Rd. at Nine Mile Rd.
Eastpointe, Michigan

Phone Numbers
Phone: (586) 771-4200
Fax: (586) 771-4894

Plymouth/Ann Arbor, MI

Address
9900 Ann Arbor Road W.
Plymouth, Michigan

Phone Numbers
Phone: (734) 453-5500

Royal Oak, MI

Address
4901 Coolidge Hwy,
Royal Oak, Michigan

Phone Numbers
Phone: (248) 280-9500
Fax: (248) 280-2688

West Bloomfield, MI

Address
6370 Orchard Lake Rd. at Maple
West Bloomfield Township, Michigan

Phone Numbers
Phone: (248) 851-7506
Fax: (248) 539-4738

Patio Furniture from English Gardens of Michigan

Patio Lounge Chairs
Patio Furniture Showrooms
Bistro Sets
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Make Life Beautiful! Come to English Gardens Today!

Don’t forget to come visit our enchanted Christmas Stores! We have by far the areas largest display of pre-lit and unlit Christmas trees, both Live and Artificial Life-Like Christmas trees in all sizes and varieties, the areas largest selection of Christmas lights in a variety of lengths, sizes, bulb types including energy efficient, and long lasting ,state of the art, LED Christmas lights, Christmas Garland, Christmas wreaths, Christmas decorations, and that perfect gift for that special someone!

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When it comes to the holidays other than Christmas, you won’t be disappointed, From July 4th, to Labor Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mothers and Fathers Day and more, you guessed it, you can count on English Gardens to Make the Holiday Beautiful!

Make the Holidays Beautiful! Come to English Gardens!

At the end of the day, we all enjoy putting a smile on our, and other’s faces, come to English Gardens at any one of our convenient locations and Make Today Beautiful!

Make Today Beautiful! Come to English Gardens!

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