For anyone looking to add that tropical theme to their flower bouquets, Anthuriums are essential. With bright, bold colours and their slick, shining appearance, they are the perfect cut flower to highlight a exotic theme. You may have noticed that these flowers are available at your local and online florist during the entire year. They bloom almost constantly and this allows flower shops to keep them in stock.
Anthuriums are also known as Flamingo flowers because of their unusual shape. They are tropical flowers and enjoy humid environments. Anthuriums are popular as both house plants and cut flowers. There are even some kinds that look great in hanging baskets. Either way, remember that they are thirsty flowers and will need a constant supply of fresh water. Some say that, as cut flowers, they can last as long as 3 weeks!
Anthuriums are as much appreciated when not in bloom as when they are. Their abundant leaves keep the plant looking attractive and interesting even if there are no colourful flowers in bloom. There are three main types of Anthuriums. They are grouped according to the design of their spathes. Spathes are large bracts that form to cover the flower of certain plants. In Anthuriums, there are those with standard, obake and tulip spathes. The most common and the one that most people are familiar with is the standard spathe variety. It is amazing to think that the Titan Arum is part of the same family as Anthuriums.
Please, take care when growing Anthuriums or using them as cut flowers in your home. All parts of this flower and plant are toxic and should not be ingested as they can cause stomach problems. Keep these flowers away from children and pets especially. If you are include to send flowers to friends and family and you need to keep a bouquet with Anthuriums in a cool place, remember to store them at temperatures above 45 F. Any colder and the flowers will turn black.
As part of care instructions, it is always a good idea to mist them on a daily basis as this will create some much needed humidity and trim the bottom of the stems ever 5 days. It also helps if you soak the flower heads in some water for a couple of hours when you trim the stems. If you are growing a potted variety of this plant in your home, remember to mist the plant every day and you can even place it on a humidity tray which is designed to provide plants with the humidity they need to thrive.
It should go without saying by now that you should keep cut Anthuriums out of direct sunlight, wind and away from any air conditioners, heaters and fireplaces. Any kind of unnatural climate control devices will only cause harm. Do not display your flowers in places like on top of your fridge, for example, as these are places known to be battered by warm breezes.