Reverie

Caring for your Reverie

Keep Reverie in clean, cool water away from direct sun, fruit and air-conditioning drafts, and top the vase up daily, because the roses and the broad hydrangea heads are heavy drinkers that wilt quickly once they run dry. Recut the woody rose and hydrangea stems at a sharp angle every couple of days so they keep taking up water, and mist the hydrangea lightly, since it drinks partly through its petals as well as its stem. Handle the delphinium and snapdragon spires gently when you arrange them, as their tall stems are the most fragile in the bouquet and bruise easily. Strip any leaves that sit below the waterline to keep it clear, and the steadier anthurium, orchid and carnation will hold their form while you tend to the more delicate blooms.

A note on your specific blooms

• Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
• Carnation — Cut stems cleanly between the swollen leaf joints rather than through them, as carnations draw water best when the node itself is left intact.
• Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
• Delphinium — Keep the tall stems in deep, fresh water and out of draughts, as Delphinium drinks heavily and wilts quickly if the vase runs low.
• Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
• Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
• Orchid — Keep orchid stems in cool, clean water away from ripening fruit, whose ethylene gas makes the blooms drop early.
• Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.
• Snapdragon — Trim the stems on a sharp angle and refresh the water often, as snapdragons drink heavily. The florets open from the bottom of the spike upward, so pinch away the lower blooms as they fade to keep the spire looking fresh.