Soft Noor

Caring for your Soft Noor

Keep the vase generously filled, since the roses and gladioli are heavy drinkers and the hydrangea takes up moisture through its petals as much as its stem, so a light daily misting of the hydrangea head keeps it from collapsing. Give the woody, fibrous stems of the kangaroo paw and craspedia a clean angled cut so they can draw water freely, and handle the calla lily and ranunculus gently, as their smooth, fragile stems bruise and bend easily. The anthurium and orchid ask for little beyond fresh, clean water and a place out of direct sun and cold drafts. Refresh the water before it clouds, lift out any bloom that has faded, and the longer-lasting flowers will continue to hold the shape of the arrangement.

A note on your specific blooms

• Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
• Calla Lily — Re-cut the thick, fleshy stems on an angle and keep water shallow, as callas are prone to softening if stood too deep.
• Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
• Craspedia — Give each stem a fresh diagonal cut and stand it in clean water; the bare stems need little else, and the golden heads hold for weeks.
• Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
• Gladiolus — Trim the stem and pinch off the topmost faded buds to push the remaining florets up the spike into bloom.
• Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
• Kangaroo Paw — Trim the stems on a slant and keep them well submerged in fresh water; skip sugar-based flower food, which these natives prefer to do without.
• Orchid — Keep orchid stems in cool, clean water away from ripening fruit, whose ethylene gas makes the blooms drop early.
• Ranunculus — Cut the hollow stems straight across, not at an angle, and keep water shallow and fresh, as these stems sit soft and bruise or rot easily when submerged too deep.
• Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.