Flowers are always the perfect addition to the home – they add dimension, life, and color! After seeing countless arrangements die before their time, I have picked up a few tips and tricks for you that will make flowers last as long as possible. Whether you received a gorgeous arrangement for Valentine’s Day or picked up some simple stems from the grocery store, these tips will help!
Leave the Leaves
In order to keep the water in your arrangement clean, make sure there are no leaves touching the water! This is where most of the bacteria hides in florals so you don’t want to let these poison the water that your flowers need to drink. The best way to do this is to remove all of the leaves before you arrange them so that you don’t risk any drooping down or falling into the water. If you received a pre-made arrangement, keep an eye on this through the vase and pluck any leaves that you see creeping into the water.
Change the Water
Just like the goldfish you had in 2nd grade, your flowers need clean water to thrive. For best results, change the water every 2-3 days to make sure it never goes stale. If the water looks dirty or starts to smell, you have waited too long! Hurry up and change it so that your flowers aren’t suicidal.
Bleach!
The first time my mom told me this, I thought she was crazy but as always, she was right! Adding a drop of bleach to your flower’s water will kill any bacteria and prevent new bacteria from multiplying. You don’t want to overdo this, obviously, so make sure you aren’t adding too much. About a teaspoon of bleach is enough for an entire vase of water. You can do this every time you change the water!
Trim the Stems
Over time, the bottom of the stem will become a bit soggy and dull, which is not ideal for absorbing water. After a week or so, you should take a sharp pair of scissors and trim the end of the stems, at a 45 degree angle, to make sure there is a good surface area to absorb water and nutrients. This will give your flowers a fresh start! You can do this as little or as much as you want. If you trim off a single inch, you can probably keep the arrangement the way it is. If you want to trim off more, it’s a good idea to transfer it to a shorter vase and give it a fresh look. Two arrangements in one, woo hoo!
Remove Dead Weight
If there are any flowers that are damaged beyond repair, remove them from the arrangement! All that flower is doing is taking up valuable water and nutrients from the other flowers. Not cool! I do this constantly over the course of my arrangement’s life – I usually end up transferring the live flowers to smaller and smaller vases until I am left with the lone survivor. It’s actually nice to create multiple arrangements out of one!
Lucky Penny
This is my favorite flower trick of all-time! It’s seriously magic. I have only ever tried it with tulips – let me know if you’ve ever done this with other flowers! Don’t you hate it when your tulips are still alive and well but they’re all over the place like Medusa’s hair? They’re one of the only flowers that look totally sad while they’re still alive. Adding a single penny to the bottom of the vase will make your tulips stand straight up and not droop! This is a game-changer in the tulip world. You need to try this!
What are your favorite tips for making flowers last?
Leave a Reply