How to Change Flower Colors With Food Coloring

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Things You'll Need

  • White daisy, rose or carnation

  • Floral shears

  • Vase or floral tube

  • Food coloring

Use food coloring to tint white flowers.

Carnations, roses, daisies and other long-stemmed flowers, when displayed in vases, make cheerful centerpieces for cafes and restaurants but unfortunately they come in a limited range of colors. If you'd like to include green, blue or other unusually colored flowers in a holiday display, you can dye white flowers with food coloring. When you place plant stems in a dyed solution, capillary action pulls the colored water up, which in turn tints the flower petals. Non-toxic food dye is completely safe for plants.

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Step 1

Cut the flower stem at a 45-degree angle with floral shears or sharp scissors.

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Step 2

Pour 1 cup of warm water in a vase or floral tube. Add 20 to 30 drops of food coloring to the water.

Step 3

Insert the flower stem into the water as you would normally. Within a day, the flower will change to the color of the dye.

Tip

You can place more than one flower in a vase of colored water, but only use one dye per vase.

Transfer the dyed flower to a vase of clear water for a cleaner display.

The dyed flowers will be a bit lighter than the dye solution. Add more dye for a darker shade.

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