Sunflower care: keeping big blooms fresh and upright

When your sunflowers arrive

Our flowers are packed in bud and shipped dry, so the stems can look a little tired when you open the box. Sunflower heads can look a little limp at first. Once they’re in water they perk up within 24 to 48 hours.

• Recut each stem at a 45 degree angle with sharp scissors. Sunflower stems are thick.
• Trim off the leaves below the waterline. Sunflowers have big leaves, and any left under the water will cloud it fast.
• Choose a tall, heavy vase that can carry the weight of the heads.
• Stand them in a clean vase of fresh water with your flower food.

How sunflowers open

Sunflowers unfurl gradually once they’re in water, so give them a little time before you judge them.

Some of our buds open as late as 72 hours after going into water, and our bouquets reach their full beauty around day 3 or 4.

Once a sunflower is open its head is heavy, which is why the vase matters.

Keeping sunflowers fresh

Sunflowers drink a lot, and their thick, leafy stems make the water cloudy faster than most flowers do. Check the vase every day and change the water whenever it clouds.

• Change the water every day or two, and rinse the vase each time.
• At day 3 or 4, recut the stems, change the water and add the second pack of flower food.
• Keep sunflowers out of direct sunlight, even though they love it in the garden. Cut flowers last longer in a bright room than on a hot windowsill. Keep them away from heating vents and ripening fruit as well.
• Remove any leaves that start to yellow or wilt.

How long sunflowers last

Cut sunflowers usually last around five to seven days. Taken as a whole, a Bear’s Blooms bouquet lasts a full week and often up to two weeks with proper care and placement.

A sunflower head can look good after its leaves have tired, so prune the leaves and keep the flower in clean water. Some flowers last longer than others, so freshen up the arrangement by pruning the spent stems.

Common sunflower problems

Most sunflower problems come down to heavy heads and cloudy water.

• A drooping head. The stem isn’t carrying enough water to the heavy head. Recut it at an angle and stand it in deep, fresh water with flower food.
• Cloudy or smelly water. Bacteria are building up. Rinse the vase, trim any leaves below the waterline and refill with fresh water.
• Wilting leaves while the flower looks fine. Leaves tend to tire first. Remove them.
• Browning petal edges. Heat, direct sunlight and ripening fruit nearby can all cause it. Move the vase.

If your stems still aren’t responding as expected, email support@bearsblooms.com with a photo of your full bouquet as well as any individual stems.