One Dozen Ways to Keep Your Flowers Fresher, Longer
One Dozen Ways to Keep Your Flowers Fresher, Longer
Treat yourself or someone special to fresh flowers today! You can enjoy your blooms longer with these simple tips and tricks to keep your flowers fresh and your spring spirits high!
- Buy flowers at the end of your shopping trip and take them home immediately, if possible.
- Some flowers naturally last longer than others, especially carnations, lilies and roses. As a general rule, look for blooms with thick, solid, sturdy stems, as they will usually last longer than flowers with hollow or narrow stems.
- Grab a green bouquet to go with your flowers. These last sometimes 2-3 times as long as blooms. You can swap out stems as they expire without having to repurchase an entire bunch. Often you can use greenery from your own yard (think dogwood, red maple, bayberry, boxwood, lilac and willow).
- Put your flowers in water as soon as you get home. Trim and arrange them as soon as possible.
- Wash your vase before you use it. Dust or surface bacteria can shorten the lives of your flowers.
- Remove the leaves on the stems that fall below the waterline. They harbor bacteria that will deteriorate the stems more quickly. Keep the leaves closest to the blooms intact.
- Use the floral preservative that comes with your arrangement. In addition to feeding your flowers, it inhibits unwanted bacterial growth.
- Use a knife to trim stems on the diagonal and immediately submerge them in room-temperature water. (A sharp knife won't squish water-conducting vessels in the stem the way scissors can; the diagonal cut provides more surface area for the stem to take in water).
- Refill the water daily to account for what the stems have been soaking up.
- Change out the water completely every two days to keep bacteria at bay. Retrim stems while you are at it!
- Keep flowers in a well-lit room but away from direct sunlight.
- Keep your bouquet in a cool spot but away from air conditioning vents.
