Keeping Your Arrangement Fresh
5 Simple Ways to Make Your Fresh Flowers Last Longer
Is there anything better than fresh flowers? Garden roses in my grandmother’s vase on my kitchen counter makes even the messiest kitchen feel prettier, a pile of bills next to a jar of dahlias makes it just a little more approachable, and waking up to cheery peonies next to your bed can make a dreary Monday brighter. There's something about having flowers around that just makes a space feel more like home and life feel more elevated.
Fresh arrangements don't stick around forever, and to us, that's what makes them extra beautiful. But with a little care, you can make them last longer than you'd think!
Here are five easy ways to help your fresh flowers last longer, and keep doing their silent yet magical job of making your space feel extra cozy:
1. Trim the Stems When You Get Home
As soon as your arrangement comes home, give the stems a fresh cut. Stems naturally start to seal themselves shortly after being cut, which makes it harder for them to drink water. A fresh cut reopens that pathway and helps your flowers hydrate the way they're meant to. Use sharp kitchen scissors or shears rather than regular household scissors if you can!
2. Change the Water Every 2-3 Days
This is the one most people skip, and it's probably the most important to help fresh flowers last longer. Flower water gets cloudy fast, and cloudy water means bacteria. Every two to three days, dump the old water, give the vase a quick rinse with dish soap or bleach, and add fresh water. While you're at it, go ahead and give the stems another small trim - it keeps everything drinking well.
3. Feed Your Flowers
Here in Central Oregon where the weather is super dry, and fresh flowers appreciate a little extra boost. We always send our flowers with some extra flower food, so you can use it when you change out the water.
If you do not have any flower food left, you can make your own! Most commercial flower food is just a mix of three things: sugar (food), acid (to balance the water's pH), and a touch of bleach (to slow bacterial growth). The easy part? You can recreate that right at home! A splash of lemon-lime soda and a small drop of bleach in your vase water does the trick nicely. Add it in when you change the water, and your flowers get the same boost a store-bought packet would give them! Voila.
4. Find the Right Spot
Where your arrangement lives matters more than you might realize. Flowers last longest somewhere cool, out of direct sunlight, and away from heating vents, drafts, or ceiling fans. Direct sun and heat speed up the wilting process. Another sneaky culprit: a fruit bowl nearby. Ripening fruit releases ethylene gas, which can cause flowers to age faster than they should. To keep your flowers fresh longer, give your arrangement its own little stretch of counter, away from the bananas!
5. Tidy as You Go
As blooms naturally finish their dance, don't let them linger in your arrangement. Pull spent flowers and any yellowing leaves as soon as you notice them. Not only does it keep the whole arrangement looking fresher longer, it also means one less stem decaying in the water and affecting the blooms still going strong!
Your Quick-and-Easy Checklist to Help Your Fresh Flowers Last Longer
- Trim stems when they arrive, and again every few days
- Change the water every 2–3 days
- Quick boost of flower food (pre-packaged or homemade) for added flower power!
- Place away from direct sun, heat, and fruit bowls
- Remove spent blooms and leaves as you go
PS. Every flower arrangement that comes home with you from our flower shop includes a care card magnet, so this whole list lives right on your fridge! No need to remember it, no need to dig up this post. Just a sweet little reminder, right where you'll see it, for as long as your flowers are around.
In need of some fresh blooms for a favorite corner of your house? Come see us or view our selection and order flowers online for pickup or delivery!