How to make your bouquet of flowers last longer

Give your beautiful cut flowers the best conditions

If you’ve been given or were inspired to buy a beautiful bunch of flowers from a florist, they have most likely been cut a few centimetres into the stem and wrapped in moisture – which is a good thing! But those precious blooms will soon begin to wither without care. Read on for flower care tips.

A bouquet often comes with a sachet of ‘flower food’, which you need to empty into the water you fill the vase with. The powder provides nutrients and slows bacterial growth for up to five days. If the bouquet did not come with any flower food, you can also take care to replace the water in the vase daily. This basically has the same effect.

Only place stems in a thoroughly cleaned vase

With a squeaky-clean, germ-free vase, you’re already extending the life of your bouquet. When cleaning your vase, try adding some anti-bacterial agent like bleach to the washing up water and leave it to work for a few minutes. Then rinse thoroughly in clean water. If you do this each time you replace the water, you’ll be giving your flowers the best conditions for staying fresh.

Remove the bottom leaves

Rotting leaves should be kept out of the water in the vase, as they produce bacteria. So, take care to trim away the leaves at the base of stems before you place them in water. The volume of any excess leaves may also prevent full immersion of your bouquet in the vase, so removing them also gives you more space. Try to leave the thorns on rose stems.

Flowers in season last longer

These days, florists tend to stock all kinds of cut flowers all year round. But like fruit and vegetables, the results are better when they’re in season. Off-season, growing them requires more intensive methods, which makes them more perishable. Also, for more sustainable cut flowers, you’ll want to go for seasonal varieties.

Maintain the right temperature

Some cut flowers do best in warm water, while others do best in cold water. As a rule of thumb, summer blooms like roses, sunflowers and chrysanthemums prefer warmth — warm weather and warm water. Winter-season flowers like tulips, anemones and hyacinths are the opposite, and thrive in cold weather and cold water.

Avoid standing your cut flowers in direct sunlight or close to a hot radiator, as this may cause them to open and wilt too fast.