David Austin Rose Care
OMG - these just aren’t any roses, they’re David Austin roses! If you’re like “David Awhatta?” then just know that the English rose breeder David Austin is to the floral industry what Coco Chanel is to fashion (psst - a big deal!). His eponymous lineages of roses are world-renowned for their unique beauty, prolific petal count, bountiful bloom, and intoxicating fragrance. Long story short, you’re in for a treat!
Start your daisies off on the right foot with a quick trim! Find a pair of scissors, kitchen shears or even a sharp kitchen knife and trim at least 1/2" off each stem. Daily stem trims (or as often as you can remember) ensure your stems can get a fresh drink as they age and will help extend their vase life!
Pro Tip: Aim for a 45° angle. This provides more surface area for the flowers to drink from and prevents the stems from sitting flush to the bottom of the vase (where bacteria can build up)
Begin at the beginning!
Bring your new BFF (that’s best floral friend) inside and unpack as soon as possible. Although we ship your roses with everything they need to survive the journey to you, the sooner they can get a fresh drink of water and stretch their petals the better.
Unpack it. Remove all packaging (bonus points for upcycling!) but leave the gauze collar in place until after you’ve completed all of the rehydration steps. Why? This protective wrapping supports these top-heavy blossoms stems during hydration.
Chop, chop! To make sure your roses can hydrate efficiently, trim about 1” off the end of the stems (bonus points if you trim at a 45˚ angle!).
Hydration, hydration, hydration.
Next, find a vase, pot, bucket, or bowl (this doesn’t have to be the vase you’ll display your blooming beauties in - although it could be - it’s just something to rehydrate your roses in). Now fill your selected vessel with enough water to submerge at least the bottom 2” of your stems and drop your trimmed roses in. P.S. Don’t forget to add the provided packet of flower food
Waiting game. Now set a time for 4 to 6 hours, walk away, and leave your roses to rehydrate in a cool, dark place (we like to use basements, closets, and unused bathrooms). Pro tip: If your roses arrive late in the day, you can leave them to rehydrate overnight, just make sure you add enough water to last them through the night.
Get arranging!
Once your roses have hydrated, follow these two easy steps to give your flowers that designed feeling in no time.
Carefully remove the gauze wrap (finally!) and discard or upcycle. Then, select a vase (or vases!) from your private collection and fill ¾ of the way with cool water. Pro tip: If you’re designing one arrangement, choose a vase with a wide opening so that these blooming beauties can open fully. We recommend something with a 3 to 4-inch mouth.
Remove any foliage that will fall below the vase water line. You can gently pluck off any browned, outer guard petals but they will also disappear once the rose opens - it’s your call! Once prepped, pop your stems in the vase et voila, enjoy!
Patience is the key. Just like a fine wine, a little time (and the aforementioned care tips) is the ticket to making the most of your David Austin roses. So once you’ve re-homed your buds to a vase (or vases), give them one to three days to fully open up.