It’s always disappointing when flowers don’t last as long as you think they should. Here are a few tips that I’ve found that keep my bouquets and arrangements last as long as they possibly can.
- Make sure no leaves are below the water line. Bacteria from the leaves gets into the water, and then your flowers drink that bacteria.
- Change the water daily. Each flower has a different type of toxicity that pollutes the water for the other flowers. Every day, dump the water out of the vase and refill it with fresh, cool water.
- Cut the stems 0.5″-1″ at a 45 degree every 2-3 days. After a couple days, the stems tries to close itself, stopping water from getting to the flowers. Giving it a fresh cut will ensure your flowers can stay hydrated. Cutting it at a 45 degree angle creates the most surface area to absorb water through the stem, meaning more water gets to the blooms.
- Keep the flowers out of direct sunlight and away from fruit. Although bright sunlight helps flowers grow, that only applies if they are still in the ground. Intense light will damage cut flowers. Keep them away from that fruit bowl on the table, as the gas produced from ripening fruit will cause the blooms to wilt prematurely.
- Remove flowers as they wilt. Even with proper care, flowers will eventually wilt, and some faster than others. As much as I would love for my dahlias to last as long as my carnations, some flowers just don’t have that long of a vase life, but one wilted flower isn’t a reason to throw an arrangement away. Take the wilted one out, and continue to enjoy the beauty of the rest.
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