From tulips to chrysanthemums, our series “The Language of Flowers” explores everything from fresh flower care tips to flower symbolism and meaning. In this article, expert florist Jerry Rosalia shows you how to save roses that begin to droop, aka develop a “bent neck.”
You’ve recently receive a beautiful bouquet of roses in a vase, but after a few days, one of the roses starts to droop, otherwise known as develops “bent neck.” If this happens to you, don’t fret; you can straighten that rose so it’s standing upright and at attention in no time.
Here, expert florist Jerry Rosalia teaches you how to save roses with bent necks in four easy steps.
- Remove the rose from the arrangement.
- Wrap the rose tightly in wet newspaper, leaving the stem protruding. (The newspaper helps keep the head of the rose straight, which will aid it in being hydrated.)
- Cut the drooping rose under water but not under running water from a tap (which is aerated).
- Place the rose in a container filled with warm water.
Within a few hours, the air will have passed out of the neck of the rose and the flower will be drinking water again. You’re welcome!