Sun Kiss Club

Caring for your Sun Kiss Club

Keep this arrangement somewhere cool and out of direct sun, since the roses and gerbera drink heavily and droop quickly once they run short of water. The hydrangea takes in moisture through its petals as well as its stem, so a light mist now and then keeps its head full and firm. Give the woody allium and anthurium stems a fresh angled cut so they can draw water freely, and handle the gerbera and delphinium gently, as their stems are the most fragile in the bunch. Pull the delphinium and any spent rose heads as they fade, and the anthurium, orchid and carnations will carry the bouquet for well over a week.

A note on your specific blooms

• Allium — Change the water often and keep it fresh, as Allium stems can release a faint onion odour into the vase.
• 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.