Having fresh cut flowers in the home can be a really lovely thing. It brings the outdoors in, brightens up any room and beats a synthetic air freshener any day. But whether the flowers were a gift or a treat for yourself, it’s always miserable when they start to fade. Especially when it happens sooner than you were expecting. So, whether it’s a posy of sweet peas from the garden or a professionally arranged bouquet, what can you do to get the very best from your cut flowers?
Tips to Help Your Cut Flowers Last Longer
Cut the stems
When you receive a beautiful flower arrangement it can almost feel like sacrilege to do anything other than place them in water and admire the blooms. But by giving the stems a small trim, you are better enabling the flowers to take in water. When trimming, try to cut the stem at an angle so they’re not resting flat on the bottom of the vase. And use a very sharp pair of secateurs or knife so you don’t crush the stem. If you trim the stems again after a few days, you’ll increase the lifespan of the flowers.
Use warm water
The most common mistake made when people push fresh flowers in a vase is to use cold water. It’s not the biggest mistake you can make, but cold water can shock the plants. It’s far better to cosset them a little with warm or room temperature water. And give fresh water at least every other day.
Trim the foliage
Many florists will do this for you. But if you’re buying from a supermarket or picking flowers from the garden, trimming away any foliage that is likely to sit below the waterline of your vase is always a good idea. Not only do cramped and sodden leaves look unappealing, but they rot fairly quickly. This can make the water smell unpleasant and cause bacteria to form in the water, which will cause your flowers to decay.
Place your flowers wisely
Cut flowers don’t like to be kept in warm places or direct sunlight. This can reduce their longevity. A cool room, away from south-facing windows is the best possible scenario. Try to avoid fluctuating temperatures and drafts too, as these can make the flowers fade more quickly.
Always use the flower food provided
If you’ve purchased cut flowers, 99% of the time you will receive a sachet of flower food. Use it! It may sound obvious, but all too often, those little packets end up in the bin. But they really do help to give bouquets the best possible start.
11 Other Hacks to Help Make Your Cut Flowers Last
- If you don’t have proprietary flower food available, you can make your own by mixing two tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar into two pints of water. This acts as both flower food and fungicide.
- Lemonade has been shown to have a similar effect if you don’t have any white wine vinegar and sugar to hand.
- Storing a bouquet in the fridge overnight is known to help the flowers to last longer. It replicates the natural cycle of temperatures falling at night.
- Placing flowers in deep water to begin with, then moving them into shallower water after a few hours can give cut flowers a better start.
- Do not put daffodils in a vase with other flowers. Their mucilage – the white gooey stuff that comes out of the stem – will kill most other cut flowers. They’re also poisonous to humans and animals, so be careful to wash your hands after handling.
- Make sure that your vase is properly clean. Again, bacteria will hasten the fading of the flowers.
- If you want to bring hyacinths indoors, bring in the bulb too. The flowers will last so much longer.
- Don’t place cut flowers by fruit. Fruit releases ethylene gas which prematurely ages flowers.
- Tulips continue to grow after being cut. So, keep this in mind when selecting a vase.
- If flowers with hollow stems, like tulips, begin to bend, try inserting a sharp pin into the stop of the stem. This can release trapped air bubbles and allows the flower to straighten. Note: only do this on hollow stemmed flowers and only if they begin to struggle as it can allow bacteria into the flower.
- And of course, there are some flowers that naturally last far longer than others once cut. Our favourites are alstroemerias, chrysanthemums and orchids.
So, there you go. Hopefully, you’ve read this and learnt a thing or two. And hopefully, your next Blue Florist arrangement will look beautiful for far longer than you were expecting.
Ready to choose your next arrangement?