Tropical Trio Care

Tropical Trio

Tropicals are handled differently from the flowers most people are used to.
Here is everything worth knowing.

Keeping tropicals happy

• Warmth, not cold. Tropicals are the one flower family that dislikes the fridge. Keep them above 55°F and away from air-conditioning vents.
• Fresh water every two days. Pour the old water out completely rather than topping it up, and rinse the container if you can.
• Mist the leaves. Anthurium, ginger and heliconia all drink through their foliage. A light mist every couple of days keeps them glossy.
• Out of direct sun. Bright indirect light is perfect; a sunny windowsill will shorten their life.
• Re-cut every few days. Half an inch off the bottom of each stem, at an angle, with a sharp knife or shears.

Looked after this way, tropicals routinely last two to three weeks — considerably longer than most cut flowers.