14 Tips to Keep Your Flowers Fresh Longer

There are a number of ways to keep a gorgeous bouquet of flowers alive and looking beautiful longer. The tips I recommend don’t involve buying any products or using any chemicals. You most likely have everything you need around your home already to keep flowers fresh longer.

Keeping bouquets looking fresh

There are a lot of myths about what will keep fresh-cut flowers looking good for longer, so some of these tips will be about debunking those. Others will be about what you should do to keep them fresh.

1. Give them room. Florists often cram bouquets into very small vases so the flowers are competing for water. The more room they have, the longer they’ll stay fresh looking. Put them in a larger vase, or split the bouquet in two or three parts and put them in multiple vases.

2. Trim the stems. This is important not only for fitting the flowers into another vase, but also for enabling the stems to “drink” plenty of water.

Use a sharp knife and hold the stem under running tap water (lukewarm, again).
Trim off about an inch from the bottom at a forty-five degree angle (don’t use scissors – they can squish the internal structure of the stem.
After trimming, also split the stem about an inch up from the cut to give it even more access to water.

3. Use lukewarm water soak. Fill the vase with clean, lukewarm water. Avoid using hot or cold water, as extreme temperatures can shock the flowers and cause them to wilt prematurely. Change the water every 2-3 days, or whenever it becomes cloudy or discolored.

4. Preservative packet. If your flowers came with a floral preservative packet, be sure to add it to the water as directed. These packets typically contain a mix of sugar, acidifiers, and antimicrobial agents that help nourish the flowers and inhibit bacterial growth.

5. The right amount of water. Only fill the bottom of the vase with about three inches of water. More than that will start to decay the stems. Keep refilling it to the three inch mark, though, so they don’t go thirsty.

6. The right water temperature. Flowers normally get their water from rain, which is typically lukewarm. Use lukewarm water for your flowers, so the temperature doesn’t shock them. (Remember, hot and cold water are human inventions – water in nature is most often lukewarm.)

7. Remove leaves below the waterline. Leaves below the waterline can start to decay and contaminate the water, so make sure what’s underwater is nothing but stems. The one exception: leave rose thorns on, since they are really part of the stem.

8. Position flowers properly in the vase. Arrange the flowers in the vase so that the stems are evenly distributed and not crowded. This allows for optimal water absorption and air circulation around the flowers. If the arrangement is too dense, the flowers may not be able to take up enough water, leading to premature wilting.

Taller flowers should be placed in the center, with shorter blooms surrounding them. This not only creates a visually appealing display but also ensures that all the flowers have access to the water they need.

9. Mist the flowers regularly. Aim to mist your flowers 1-2 times per day, being careful not to oversaturate them. Focus the mist on the petals and foliage, avoiding the water in the vase, as too much moisture can lead to bacterial growth.

You can use a simple spray bottle filled with clean, room-temperature water to mist your flowers. Avoid using cold water, as this can shock the blooms and cause them to wilt.

Misting is especially beneficial for flowers that tend to dry out quickly, such as roses, carnations, and lilies. It can also help revive wilting flowers, giving them a fresh, rejuvenated appearance.

10 Trim stems and remove dying blooms.Every other day, trim another quarter inch off the bottom of the stems, again with a sharp knife at a forty-five degree angle. Change out the water in the vase (completely). Prune any dead leaves, and dead or tightly closed buds, from your flowers so they’re not consuming nutrients the rest of the plant would benefit from.

11. No direct sunlight. Wildflowers don’t typically grow in areas with lots of direct sunlight. Cut flowers also appreciate a break from direct sunlight, which can dry them out and age them faster.

12. Give them plant food. You can add plant food to the water. You can make your own plant food, too.

13. Don’t give them aspirin. This old folk remedy doesn’t really work, and can shorten the lives of some flowers.

14. Avoid ethylene-producing fruits and vegetables. Certain fruits and vegetables, such as apples, bananas, and tomatoes, release a gas called ethylene, which can accelerate the aging process in cut flowers. Exposure to ethylene can cause flowers to wilt, discolor, and drop their petals prematurely.

Keep your floral arrangements away from any ethylene-producing produce. If possible, avoid storing or displaying your flowers in the same room as ripening fruits and vegetables.