8 ways to keep flowers fresh

Written by Hannah Kingston on September 24, 2021

Receiving flowers is such a treat and way of feeling loved, but there’s one problem. Most bouquets of flowers don’t last more than four days. If you’re wondering how to keep flowers fresh, you’re in the right place. 

Here are 8 ways to keep your flowers fresh for longer. 

1. Ensure that you put your flowers into a clean vase
2. Put some soda in your flower’s water 
3. Always trim away loose ends and edges 
4. Soak your flower bouquet for 30 minutes 
5. Add a small bit of bleach to your flower water
6. Add a coin to your flower water
7. Sweeten it up with sugar 
8. Give your flowers a face lift with hairspray 

Ensure that you put your flowers into a clean vase

This might seem like a very obvious one, but it’s important to ensure that you place your flowers into a vase that has been well cleaned to ensure that there is no bacteria lingering under the surface. Bacteria can make the flowers fester faster, especially if the flowers are being kept in a space that receives full sunlight. Tepid flower water can become a breeding ground for bacteria so it is super important to ensure that your vase is well cleaned to keep flowers fresh. 

Put some soda in your flower’s water 

A quarter of a cup of soda can go a long way if you want to keep flowers fresh. The acidic nature of soda means that the flowers can receive water from the vase more easily. Sugars in the soda also act as a food for flowers which means they will stay fresh and alert for longer. 

Always trim away loose ends and edges 

Trimming the ends of your blooms makes it easier for them to receive water from the vase. It also helps to cut away any of the bacteria that has been living on the flower ends. Trimming away the edges of your flowers will ensure that they stay looking fresh for longer. 

Soak your flower bouquet for 30 minutes 

This may seem a little out there but trust us on this one! Soaking your flowers for 30 minutes means that they can soak up water and stay revived for longer. We recommend double checking the types of flowers with this method to ensure that the flower petals aren’t too delicate for this practice. Sturdy petals should be able to handle this one without any issues. 

Add a small bit of bleach to your flower water

Adding a small amount of bleach to your flower water in another great way to fend off bacteria from the end of flower stems, as it ensures that water has a better chance of travelling up through the flower stems. 

Once you trim the ends of flowers and add them to a vase, bacteria begin to colonize, bleach will help to kill this bacteria which helps to keep flowers fresh. 

Add a coin to your flower water

The type of coin matters here! A copper penny works best for this method. Drop a copper penny into your flower water for a nifty way to kill bacteria in the vase water. Copper is a fungicide which means that the flowers won’t fall victim to the effects of fungi and bacteria on the flower ends.

Sweeten it up with sugar 

Adding a little bit of sugar to your flower water is a great way make your blooms thrive. Sugar acts as a food for flowers so they will grow faster and stronger. Sugar also helps flowers to bloom faster if you want particularly impressive flowers on a deadline. 

Give your flowers a face lift with hairspray 

Keeping your flowers fresh and sturdy can be as easy as giving them a quick spritz with hairspray. Stand back one metre and give the undersides of your flowers a quick spritz, make sure that you don’t go overboard or you could end up with dried out looking blooms! 

• Read: Fruit flowers and how to maintain them 
• Read: 18 of the best window box flowers and when to plant them
• Read: Birth month flowers & their meaning