6 Simple Tips for Long Lasting Flowers
Mixed bouquet with dahlias, zinnias, gomphrena, cosmos
We Want Your Flowers to Last as Long as Possible
Whether you receive a special delivery, a subscription delivery, or pick up a wrapped bouquet at the grocery store, we want you to get the most out of your flowers. Here are five of the best tips for getting the longest vase life.
Tip 1 - Start With A Clean Vessel
Make sure the container that will hold your flowers is clean! I mean clean enough that you would feel comfortable to drink from it.
Flowers won’t last as long with bacteria in the water, so make sure you give them a good start by not introducing bacteria into the water from a dirty container.
Tip 2 - Give Those Stems a Fresh Cut
When you get home with your flowers, give those stems a fresh cut. Cutting 1 - 2 inches off the bottom of the stems will help them continue to take up water and last longer.
When you cut the stems put them directly into fresh water with floral preservative.
Tip 3 - Use Floral Preservative
When you give cut flowers some nutrients, they’ll last longer. There are some exceptions to this rule. When we cut zinnias and sunflowers in the field, we don’t add floral preservative to the buckets of water. But when those flowers go into a design with other flowers, everything gets floral preservative!
And don’t be afraid to add a few drops of bleach to the water to keep bacteria at bay.
When I first started working with flowers, I was shocked at the idea of putting bleach in the water with my flowers. “Won’t bleach destroy my beautiful blooms?’ But soon I learned that a few drops of bleach in the water helps fight bacteria from dirty stems. We put a few drops of bleach in our buckets of flowers to cut down on the bacteria from the “dirty drinkers”, like sunflowers and zinnias.
Tip 4 - Take All Foliage Off Stems that will be Under the Water
When you arrange a bundle of flowers, or cut your own fresh flowers for an arrangement, always remember to remove all the foliage from the stems that will be in the water. When foliage is left on stems, it causes the water to get murky very quickly. That dirty water doesn’t allow the stems of the flowers to keep taking in water. The result is that they will wilt quickly. You want to prevent that from the start so that your flowers can keep drinking to stay fresh as long as possible.
Tip 5 - Recut the Stems Every 2 - 3 Days
Recutting your stems every 2 - 3 days will help your flowers continue the uptake of water. When you recut your stems, also refresh the water in the container at the same time so that the freshly cut stems go directly back into fresh water.
Tip 6 - Keep Those Blooms Cool
Heat and direct sunlight will shorten the vase life of fresh flowers. Keep those flowers in a cool spot and away from windows that receive direct sunlight.
Once you put these 6 simple tips into practice, you’ll have beautiful bouquets that you can enjoy for much longer!
If you found these tips useful, please share with a friend that would also enjoy learning about how to make cut flowers last as long as possible!
Keep on smiling flower friend!