How to Keep Fresh Flowers Longer

Learn some tips and tricks to keep fresh flowers longer whether you buy them at the store or cut them from the garden.

I love making fresh flower arrangements. Especially if we have guests at the house. During the spring and summer, there are plenty of flowers to cut from the garden. However, store bought bouquets are good choices during the winter months.

However, often, you want to have the arrangements completed before your special event or holiday. There are several steps you can take to make sure they last for more than a few days.

Creating a Flower Arrangement That Lasts

Step 1. Start with a very clean vase. Use soap and hot water to scrub the inside of your vase so that any bacteria or residue is gone. Also, be sure to rinse all the soap so that your vessel is squeaky clean.

Step 2. Fill the vase 2/3 of the way with warm water. Too cold or too hot water can shock the plant material.

Step 3. Add a packet of flower food to the water or make homemade flower food.

Step 4. Cut stems 1/4 inch off the bottom of each flower.

Step 5. Remove all foliage/leaves below the flowers. Any foliage left on in the water level will quickly rot.

Step 5. Begin adding flowers to the vase. Start with multi-stemmed flowers. Then add larger flowers followed by smaller single stems. Finish with filler plant material. Turn the vase around and adjust accordingly.

Step 6. Set the vase in its place of honor, or consider setting it in a cool area away from direct sunlight, heat sources, and drafts to keep it fresh before setting it on the table. You could also set the vase in the fridge if you have room.

After a couple of days, many of the buds and blooms will open up and you may want to adjust the arrangement a bit more.

After 7 days you can see that the water level is lower and at least one flower is wilting. This is a good time to replace the water with fresh water and plant food. Toss out any unsightly-looking flowers and adjust the arrangement.

By ten days, several of the flowers are past their prime, but many still look good. So I usually remove all the wilted or dried out flowers. Then I grab the bouquet carefully and set it on the counter while I clean the vase and add fresh water and food. Then I set the bouquet back into the vase, move the remaining flowers around, and enjoy it for a few more days.

Following these steps will certainly help with the longevity of your bouquet but note that no matter what you do some flowers simply last longer than others. So it's always a good idea to buy flower bouquets with a mix of flowers for a beautiful centerpiece that lasts for days.