Not all flowers last the same length of time, and the difference is bigger than most people expect. Two bouquets can cost the same and one will still be going a fortnight after the other has been thrown out.
It comes down to which stems are in it. Here is the order, longest to shortest, and which of our autumn bouquets are built on the ones that keep going.
One thing worth saying first: what matters is not when the first flower fades, but how long the bouquet still looks worth having afterwards. Almost every mixed bouquet loses something in the first week. The question is what is left.
The stems that last longest
Statice: two to three weeks, and often longer. It dries rather than wilts, so it holds its colour even once the water is gone. Blue and pink statice both.
Thistles: two to three weeks. Same principle: a thistle is structural rather than soft, so it keeps its shape long after the softer flowers have gone over.
Carnations: two to three weeks, and the most underrated flower in any bouquet. They open slowly and keep opening, which is why a bouquet with carnations in it looks fuller on day ten than on day one.
Oak leaves and pistach foliage: two weeks plus. Foliage almost always outlasts the flowers around it, and oak and pistach are among the sturdiest.
Solidago: around two weeks. Small, dense flowers on a firm stem, and it dries well too.
Nutan: one to two weeks. Firm-petalled and reliable.
Roses: seven to ten days with the water changed. Longer if you take an inch off the stems every few days.
Sunflowers: six to ten days. They drink a great deal of water and they are the first thing in an autumn bouquet to go, so top the vase up daily.
Purple Majesty, the longest-lasting bouquet in the collection
Deep purple roses, blue statice, purple carnations, thistles and pistach leaves.
Four of those five are on the two-to-three-week end of the list: the statice, the carnations, the thistles and the pistach. The roses are the only short-lived thing in it. So as the roses finish you are left with a bouquet that still looks intentional rather than one that looks half dead. Available as a basket or a vase.
Crisp Meadow, level with it on a longer list
Orange roses, purple carnations, nutan, thistles, statice and oak leaves.
Six stems rather than five, and four of them, being the carnations, thistles, statice and oak, are on the same two-to-three-week end of the list. So it holds for a fortnight just as Purple Majesty does. The difference is proportion: Purple Majesty is four long-lasting stems out of five, this is four out of six, with the nutan in the middle at one to two weeks. On paper Purple Majesty edges it. In a room you would struggle to tell them apart. Available as a hatbox, basket or vase.
Autumn Charm, in the middle
Yellow and orange roses, cerise carnations, sunflowers, solidago, pistach and oak leaves.
The sunflowers set the clock here, and they will go at around a week, the same as in the Sunflower bouquet. What separates the two is what is left afterwards. This one still has carnations, solidago, pistach and oak leaves in it, four long-lasting stems, so it carries on well past the point where the sunflowers have finished. Available as a basket, hatbox or vase.
Sunflower, the shortest and worth it anyway
Sunflowers, yellow roses, solidago and pistach foliage.
The shortest-lived of the four, at roughly a week to ten days. The sunflowers and roses go at the same point they would in Autumn Charm, but there is less behind them: solidago and pistach rather than four long-lasting stems. So the whole bouquet finishes together. Choose it anyway if you want impact. Nothing else in the collection has the same effect on a room. Just keep the vase topped up: sunflowers drink more than any other stem in these bouquets. Available as a basket, vase or hatbox.
Four things that actually make a difference
Change the water every two or three days rather than topping it up. Cut a centimetre off the stems at an angle each time. Keep the vase out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. And take out any stem that has gone over, because one rotting stem shortens everything around it.
Done properly, that is the difference between nine days and a fortnight on the same bouquet. There ismore on making cut flowers last if you want the detail.
Next-day delivery nationwide, €8.95 flat. Order by 3:30pm.
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Next-day delivery nationwide, €8.95 flat.
Shop autumn bouquets
