Flowers are a popular Mother’s Day gift, but it can be disappointing to spend your hard earned cash on roses for mom, only to have them wilt and die after a few days.
Consumer reporter Lynda Steele decided to test four bouquets of pink roses, to determine if spending more money will help ensure you receive longer lasting flowers.
The first bouquet was from Safeway and, at $15.99, it was the cheapest. The arrangement was guaranteed to last five days or your money back, and on day one some petals were already falling off.
For $17.99, the second bouquet from Costco was double the size with two dozen pink roses. They looked much fresher than the bunch from Safeway.
The third bouquet was from North Vancouver florist, Buy the Bunch and cost $35.
And finally, the fourth bouquet arrived from high-end florist Thomas Hobbs in Kerrisdale. They were the largest roses and cost $65.
The ends of the roses were snipped, plant food was stirred into the water and each vase was placed in the CTV cafeteria in front of a time lapse camera.
One week into the experiment, all four of the bouquets looked good.
“They're holding their own. There's a couple that are really spread out, so I expect to see some of those go down shortly," said Steele.
But after an impressive nine days, the pricey Thomas Hobbs flowers start to fade.
“I would say that is good results. If you had taken the time to cut them and put in fresh water, you would have got longer life out of them,” said Maureen Sullivan, owner of Thomas Hobbs.
The next day, the Costco flowers were drooping and were declared dead by the Steele on Your Side unit.
The cheapest flowers from Safeway and the Buy the Bunch bouquet called it quits on Day 11.
Sam Solis, owner of Buy the Bunch, was pleased by the results. He teaches floral design and recommends sticking with good old fashioned plant food to help extend the life of your flowers.
"I will never try anything that hasn't been proven. Some people claim that vodka and soft drinks will prolong the life of roses in a vase. I've never trusted that," said Solis.
Because of the time lapse experiment, the flowers had to remain still and the water was never changed. Most florists say this is a very important factor in helping your flowers live longer and you should try to change the water every three to four days.
The key to long-lasting flowers is to stop bacteria from growing in the water. That’s why some people say a splash of vodka or a couple of drops of bleach may work. But if you put too much in the water, you risk killing the flowers.
Your best bet is using the plant food that most bouquets come with and make sure you remove excess leaves from the stems of your flowers. Any leaves that fall into the water will create bacteria. Also, always cut your stems on an angle before putting them in a vase. A bigger surface area means more water can be absorbed.
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Mother’s Day roses that last
CTV British Columbia
Published Tuesday, May 7, 2013 6:00AM PDT Last Updated Tuesday, May 7, 2013 8:21PM PDT
Published Tuesday, May 7, 2013 6:00AM PDT Last Updated Tuesday, May 7, 2013 8:21PM PDT
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