Fresh Flowers Looking Fatigued? Prolong Their Life With These 7 Tips

Fresh flowers can instantly uplift a mood, but like all good things, they’re temporary. For the most part, how long cut flowers last is up to nature. Some flowers have a longer shelf life than others.

For example, a sunflower, rose, or daisy will likely last longer in water than a tulip, daffodil, or lilac. Even so, the most resilient bouquets only tend to last around 7 to 12 days. Not anymore. There are ways you can prolong the life of your flowers—and most of them only take a couple of minutes. Here’s how to extend the life of your flowers.

1. Prep Your Flowers the Right Way

If you got your flowers from a flower delivery service, there’s a good chance they’re already prepped for a vase. If you grabbed them from your garden, a little pruning goes a long way to prolong flower life.

At minimum, cut the stem of each fresh flower at a 45-degree angle about an inch or two from the bottom. This prevents the stem from laying flat against the bottom of the vase. It also increases the surface area so it can absorb more water. Hello, hydration.

When you’re prepping your flowers, you’ll also want to remove dead leaves, dead buds, and any leaves below the vase’s waterline. Leaves submerged in water are a breeding ground for mold, fungus, and bacteria.

2. Choose the Right Vase

When choosing your flowers, keep the vase in mind. Your vase should support the stems. If the blooms are large, opt for a low vase that has room for the petals to spread out as they open. If the blooms are tiny and delicate, you can choose a taller vase.

Don’t overcrowd your flowers. If you need to, split your bouquet into two vases. Prep your vase by cleaning it with bleach to stave off bacteria and rinse it thoroughly.

3. Cut the Stem Every Few Days

Clean stems are happy—and properly hydrated—stems. Mold, fungus, and bacteria can muck them up. Think of it as a straw. If the straw gets clogged, it won’t work. The best way to keep your fresh-cut flowers clean is to trim the stems every three to five days.

4. Change the Water Regularly

Vase water gets cloudy quickly—and if your water isn’t fresh, your flowers won’t be either.

Clean your vase and replace the water every three to five days or whenever it starts to look dirty. As a rule, always use warm water rather than cold water. This is particularly important when you first get your bouquet because it helps the flowers hydrate faster.

As an added bonus, you can mix one-fourth teaspoon of bleach per quart of vase water. This will stave off mold and bacteria, keeping your water clearer longer. You’ll still have to replace the water regularly.

5. Feed Your Flowers

The key to long-lasting blooms is to keep your fresh flowers hydrated and replace the nutrients they would normally get from their flower bed. Cut flower food, which is available at any local garden center or florist, is the gold standard.

There are other at-home methods to prolong the life of your flowers, including using apple cider vinegar, hairspray, or a penny (yes, actual currency). Most of these don’t have much benefit, but the ones that do rely on sugar.

One of the most effective methods is adding a fourth of a cup of lemon-lime soda to your vase water (regular soda is fine if your vase is opaque).

You can also make homemade flower food using the following ingredients for each quart of water:

• 2 aspirin

• A teaspoon of sugar

• A couple drops of bleach

The aspirin’s acidity helps your cut flowers absorb water, the sugar nourishes them, and the bleach keeps the water free of bacteria.

6. Throw Your Flowers Some Shade

Sunlight may help your indoor plants thrive, but it’s not doing your fresh-cut flowers any favors. Whether you’ve got fall flowers or gorgeous summer flowers, keep them from direct sunlight, heating and cooling vents, and heat-generating appliances that could dehydrate them. Your flowers will fare better in a cool room away from the window.

7. Put Your Flowers in Your Refrigerator Overnight

If all else fails, you can always put your flowers in the fridge when you’re not looking at them. Just like with fruits and veggies, the fridge can prolong the life of your flowers. If you go the fridge route, keep your fresh flowers away from fruits that emit ethylene gas as they ripen. This gas affects flowers too.

Don’t have a green thumb? If your garden isn’t looking healthy enough to display its flowers in your home, it might be time to call in a gardener in your area.