How to make your fresh cut flowers last longer

• Written by Holly Hughes on January 25, 2022

Is there anything better than a bouquet of freshly-cut flowers? When we receive a gift of bright and cheerful blooms, from either a loved one or ourselves, our immediate response is to wonder the best way to keep these cut flowers fresh, so we can enjoy their fragrant beauty for as long as possible.

Whether you have been sent a heavenly creation from delivery services such as 1800Flowers or FromYouFlowers, or you have been busy crafting your own masterpiece from a subscription service like EnjoyFlowers or MonthlyClubs, you don’t need to worry about wilting blooms – we’re here to tell you how to prolong the life of cut flowers.

Grab a pen and paper because here’s the secret to keeping your floral arrangements fresher for longer.

How long do fresh flowers last?

Before asking, ‘how can I make my flowers last longer’, the first question we should instead ask is ‘how long do cut flowers normally last’? Typically, most bouquets have a life cycle of about five to seven days before they begin drooping.

One way to easily get more mileage out of your bouquet is to choose younger blooms in your arrangement.

While open flowers can seem more appealing when buying a bouquet, they will not last as long as those still in buds. So, the next time you are choosing your perfect bouquet, make sure to select one with as many closed petals as possible, for younger blossoms that will bloom and last longer.

Top tips for cut flower preservation for extended vase life

Now you’ve chosen your bouquet, how you care for it becomes of tantamount importance for optimal freshness. Firstly, the most pivotal part of floral care is ensuring they are placed in water immediately after buying. While this sounds straightforward, there are several vital steps to this process that cannot be overlooked.

Clean your vase

Make sure your vase is spotlessly clean. Any bit of dirt or grime remaining in the vase can encourage bacteria to grow in the water, thereby hastening your bouquets’ wilting.

Trim your stems

Cutting the stems of your arrangement is one of the most important ways to ensure your flowers stay fresh. Take care to trim them at a 45-degree angle. This creates a larger surface area for the stems to absorb water, ensuring maximum hydration for your blooms.  You can retrim every few days to ensure your flowers can drink properly.

Remove excess foliage

Finally, it is important to strip any leaves from the stalks that would sit below the waterline of your vase. These leaves will otherwise rot in the water, causing bacteria and algae to grow and thereby shortening your flowers’ lifespan. When removing excess leaves, take care to avoid bruising the stems which can also cause disease to develop.

Where to place your bouquet to extend the life of cut flowers?

With your blooms now trimmed, stripped, and hydrated, the next step is to find the perfect stage for them to show off on. Cut flowers prefer dark, cooler spots away from direct sunlight or drafts that can dehydrate them faster. Therefore, ensure you place your vase away from windows where the sun shines directly in and far from AC units or radiators.

It’s also a good idea to keep your flowers away from your fruit bowl. Fruits release gasses that quicken flowers’ growth and therefore cause them to wilt faster.

How often should you change the water when caring for cut flowers?

For best results, maintain your bouquet by changing its water every two or three days. Rather than simply topping it up as the water level decreases, it is much better to replace the old water entirely. 

Tip it out, clean your vase thoroughly to remove any bacteria, and then refill again. This prevents bacterial growth that can clog the flower stems and prevent them from soaking up the water.

What to add to water for cut flowers?

It can be overwhelming to research the many different solutions for cut flowers that are sworn to extend their lifespan. But it doesn’t need to be rocket science! For an extra nutritional oomph to your bouquet, there are a few, simple concoctions with ingredients you are guaranteed to have in your home.

If your bouquet comes with food mix, be sure to use that first and foremost – these are recommended by florists for a reason. However, if you don’t have any, we’ve looked at some of the most common solutions and have featured them below.

Does using lemon in your flower vase keep flowers fresh?

Lemon water is often touted as a great way to keep flowers from wilting and this, if carefully done, is certainly true. This is because flowers thrive in solutions with a pH below 7 and lemon juice is one substance that can effectively lower a water’s acidity.

However, you only need a small amount! Mix two tablespoons of lemon juice with one tablespoon of sugar, half a teaspoon of bleach in one quart of warm water.

Can you use aspirin to keep flowers fresh?

Many experts also recommend aspirin for cut flowers. According toMartha Stewart, for cut flowers to survive they need sugar for nourishment and an acidic ingredient, such as aspirin, to help them absorb water. Her website therefore recommends adding two aspirin, a teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of bleach for every quart of water you use.

How to make roses last longer?

As one of the most popular bouquets in flower-giving, many people want to know how to keep these bouquets of flowers fresh. If you’d like to learn the secret of how to keep rose flowers from wilting most effectively, the good news is you already know! Follow the same fresh cut flower care we’ve discussed above for the most sumptuous vase of roses that is sure to last longer.

There you have it. A quick and easy guide on how to keep bouquet flowers fresh and perky well past their expiry date. Now you know how to care for your fresh flowers, all that’s left to do is order some. Check out these amazing floral delivery services for the most beautiful and affordable bouquets, delivered fast.

Top flower delivery services:

• FromYouFlowers
• SendFlowers
• 1800Flowers

Top subscription services:

• BloomsyBox
• EnjoyFlowers
• MonthlyClubs