5 Pro Tips to Make Your Flowers Last Longer

I absolutely love flowers in my home! A bouquet of flowers can last you a week sometimes even up to two weeks if you take really good care of it. I’m sharing five top pro tips I’ve had great success with so you can keep your flowers longer too! My favorite place to pick up a bouquet is at the farmer’s market. I find they tend to last longer than store bought flowers. For seasonal flowers that the farmer’s market doesn’t sell I like to pick up flowers at Trader Joe’s.

5 pro tips to make your flowers last longer:

1. Preparation:

   • Start with a clean vase. Wash with warm soapy water and air dry.
   • Cut your stems at an angle with a sharp knife. Cutting them at an angle keeps water from pooling around the base of the stem, making it more difficult for bacteria and fungus to grow. The angle also gives the stem a greater surface area to let air in.
   • Remove the lower leaves on the stem so that there are no leaves in the water. Leaves left on the stem below the water line will decompose and feed bacteria causing your flowers to die more quickly.

2. Fresh Water:

   • Keeping your water as clean and fresh as possible will extend your bouquet’s life. Change out the water 2-3 times weekly, washing your vase with soap to clean out any bacteria that has begun to form.
   • Re-cut your stems when you change out the water every 2-3 days.

3. Arrangement:

   • Remove wilting flowers from the bouquet daily. This will help the remaining flowers last longer.
   • Don’t forget to also remove any leaves that fall under the water line now that you have re-cut your stems.

4. Placement:

   • Place your flowers in a cool spot as warmth both wilts and creates an environment conducive to bacteria and fungus.
   • Place your flowers away from any fruit you have out in the house. Fruit attracts bugs and it also produces ethylene which helps fruit ripen. If placed by your flowers it will shorten the life span of your flowers considerably.

5. Skip the additives:

   • If you follows tips 1-4 you don’t need to add anything to your water. A lot of people try adding things to the water to make their flowers last longer. Personally I think this is a mistake. In some cases adding something can actually have negative effects and speed up wilting.

   

   These are my tips to give your flowers a little extra life! I hope they work as well for you as they do for me.

   Have any great tips of your own? Please share them with me!

XOXO

Naomi