Proper care can extend the life of your bouquet by up to a week
Receiving a beautiful bouquet is a joy, but watching it wilt prematurely can be disappointing. At SprinLavat, we want your flowers to bring happiness for as long as possible. With over a decade of floristry experience, we've compiled our most effective tips for extending the life of your cut flowers.
First Steps: What to Do When You Receive Flowers
The first hour after receiving flowers is crucial for their longevity. Here's what to do immediately:
1. Unwrap Carefully
Many bouquets come wrapped in paper, cellophane, or other materials. Remove this wrapping gently, being careful not to damage stems or blooms. However, if your flowers arrived in a water-filled container or aqua pack, leave them in this until you're ready to arrange them.
Florist Tip:
If you can't attend to your flowers immediately, keep them in a cool place away from direct sunlight, heaters, and ripening fruit until you're ready to prepare them properly.
2. Prepare Your Vase
Choose a clean vase appropriate for your bouquet's size. A good rule of thumb is that the height of your vase should be about one-third of the total height of your finished arrangement. Wash your vase thoroughly with soap and warm water, then rinse well to remove any soap residue which can harm the flowers.
3. Fill with Room Temperature Water
Contrary to popular belief, most flowers prefer room temperature water rather than cold. Fill your vase about two-thirds full with fresh, clean tap water. If your tap water is heavily chlorinated, consider using filtered water.
4. Add Flower Food
If your bouquet came with a packet of flower food, add it to the water following the package instructions. These commercial preservatives contain:
- Sugar to nourish the flowers
- Acid to maintain the water's pH
- Antibacterial agents to prevent stem blockage
If you don't have commercial flower food, you can make a simple homemade version by adding 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of household bleach, and 2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice to 1 liter of water.
Preparing Your Flowers for the Vase
Before placing your flowers in water, they need proper preparation to maximize water uptake.
1. Trim the Stems
This is perhaps the most important step. Always cut at least 2-3 cm off each stem at a 45-degree angle using sharp scissors or secateurs. Cutting at an angle increases the surface area for water absorption and prevents the stems from sitting flat on the bottom of the vase, which would block water uptake.
Florist Tip:
For best results, cut the stems under running water or while submerged in a bowl of water. This prevents air bubbles from forming in the stem, which can block water absorption.
2. Remove Lower Foliage
Remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline in your vase. Submerged leaves rot quickly, promoting bacterial growth which can significantly shorten the life of your flowers.
3. Special Treatments for Specific Flowers
Some flowers benefit from special treatments:
- Roses: If your roses look a bit droopy, try rehydrating them by submerging the entire stem and flower head in warm water for about 20 minutes before putting them in your vase.
- Hollow-stemmed flowers: For flowers with hollow stems like delphiniums or amaryllis, turn them upside down and fill the stems with water before placing in your vase.
- Woody stems: For lilac, hydrangea, or other woody-stemmed flowers, split the bottom of the stems about 2-3 cm up with a knife, or gently smash the ends with a hammer to improve water uptake.
- Milky-sap flowers: For poppies, euphorbia, and other flowers with milky sap, sear the cut ends with a flame for a few seconds, then immediately place in cold water.
Daily Care for Maximum Longevity
Once your flowers are beautifully arranged, follow these daily care tips to keep them fresh as long as possible.
1. Location, Location, Location
Where you place your flowers makes a significant difference to their lifespan:
- Keep flowers away from direct sunlight, which can cause them to overheat and wilt prematurely.
- Avoid placing them near radiators, fireplaces, or other heat sources.
- Keep them away from ripening fruit, which releases ethylene gas that accelerates the aging process in flowers.
- Avoid drafty areas which can dehydrate flowers quickly.
- If possible, move your arrangement to a cool room or hallway at night (around 12-15°C is ideal).
2. Water Maintenance
Proper water care is essential:
- Check the water level daily and top up as needed.
- Change the water completely every 2-3 days.
- When changing water, re-trim the stems by about 1 cm, again at a 45-degree angle.
- Clean the vase thoroughly each time you change the water to remove any bacteria.
- Add fresh flower food with each water change.
Florist Tip:
The cloudier your vase water becomes, the more frequently you should change it. Cloudy water is a sign of bacterial growth, which blocks stems and shortens flower life.
3. Regular Maintenance
A little daily attention will help your bouquet look its best:
- Remove any wilting flowers or foliage promptly. They release ethylene gas which affects the remaining healthy blooms.
- Gently turn your vase every day to ensure even light exposure and prevent flowers from leaning too much in one direction.
- Mist flowers like hydrangeas, which absorb water through their petals as well as their stems.
- For arrangements with multiple types of flowers, be aware that some varieties naturally last longer than others. Don't be afraid to remove spent blooms while keeping the longer-lasting varieties.
Flower-Specific Care Tips
Different flowers have unique care requirements. Here are tips for some popular varieties:
Roses
Remove guard petals (the outer petals that may look discolored or damaged) to reveal the perfect blooms beneath. If rose heads start to droop, recut stems and place in about 2 inches of warm water for an hour before returning to the vase.
Tulips
Tulips continue to grow in the vase and tend to bend toward light. Turn your vase daily and keep water levels higher than for other flowers, as tulips are thirsty blooms. Adding a copper penny to the vase can help keep tulips standing tall.
Lilies
Remove the orange/brown anthers as lilies open to prevent pollen stains on petals and furnishings. Cut lilies have a strong scent that some find overwhelming; placing them in a well-ventilated area can help.
Hydrangeas
These thirsty flowers need lots of water and benefit from misting. If they wilt, submerge the entire flower head in cool water for 30 minutes, then recut the stem before returning to the vase.
Peonies
Cut when buds are still fairly tight but showing color. The ideal stage is when they feel like soft marshmallows to the touch. Store peonies in a cool place overnight to slow their opening.
Extending the Joy: Creative Uses for Aging Flowers
Even as your bouquet begins to fade, there are ways to continue enjoying its beauty:
Create Petite Arrangements
As some stems begin to fade, remove the best remaining blooms and create small arrangements in bud vases or teacups for bedside tables or bathroom counters.
Dry Your Favorites
Many flowers dry beautifully. Hang small bunches upside down in a dark, dry place with good air circulation. Roses, lavender, hydrangeas, and eucalyptus are particularly good candidates for drying.
Press Flowers
Select perfect blooms and press them between the pages of a heavy book with absorbent paper on either side. Once dried, these can be used for craft projects, framed as artwork, or added to handmade cards.
Make Potpourri
Dry petals on a paper towel in a warm, dry place, then mix with a few drops of essential oil and some fixative like orris root for a personalized potpourri.
With proper care, your SprinLavat bouquet should bring joy for many days. Remember that even the most carefully tended cut flowers will eventually fade—this ephemeral quality is part of what makes fresh flowers so special. They remind us to appreciate beauty in the moment and find joy in nature's cycles.
