Tips for Extending the Life of Your Floral Arrangement

It’s always nice to get flowers. No matter the occasion, having a bouquet of fresh flowers can brighten your mood and serve as a great centerpiece in your home. Since they’re alive, however, they do require some care and maintenance, and you might be curious about how to keep your new floral arrangement from dying before its time.

There are several ways to make your floral arrangement last longer. These range from the obvious to the esoteric. Below we’ll cover how to keep a floral arrangement from dying.

Avoid direct sunlight

This might seem counterintuitive because flowers need sunlight to live, but having flowers placed in direct sunlight can actually accelerate the decaying process. Don’t place them on windowsills or directly in the sunlight. Find a cooler, shady place instead.

Cut the stems

Depending on where you got your flowers and how long they’ve been out of the water, they could benefit from recutting the stem. Doing this will open the stems of the flowers, allowing them to drink more water than if you leave the stems as is. Make sure to cut the stems at an angle to increase the surface area exposed to the water.

Remove any leaves below the water line

If there are rogue leaves near the bottom of your bouquet that are going to be underwater in the vase, you can and should cut them off. This will help keep your vase’s water clean and prevent bacteria accumulation and bad smells. It will also allow the flowers’ energy to be focused on growing the blooms on top, instead of wasting energy on leaves that you don’t want.

Use a clean vase

A flower is a living thing, and thus should be drinking water out of a clean vase. You wouldn’t want to drink water from a dirty cup, and you wouldn’t want your dog or cat drinking out of a dirty bowl, so clean your vase before you place your flowers inside. You can use a diluted bleach solution (one part bleach to 10 parts water) to scrub your vase. Rinse it completely to fully remove any potentially harmful bacteria.

Use clean water and add something extra

In the same vein as the tip above, you should use clean water for your flowers and remember to change the water every two days. There are some helpful supplements that can feed your flowers, and the floral shop may have provided you with a small packet that you can use.

If not, you can try specially made flower food like Floralife Crystal Clear or Oasis Floralife Express 300. You can also create your own mix using one can of regular Sprite (not diet), a tablespoon of bleach and a quart of water.

Remove any dead flowers

There may come a time when some of your flowers are wilting or dying. This could happen to entire stems or a few blossoms on a particular flower. For the same reason you want to cut dead branches off a tree, you’ll want to snip any deceased blooms and remove any lifeless flowers from your bouquet.

Call for your floral arrangement today

Now that you know some ways to make your floral arrangement last longer, give us a call at The Delicate Daisy – House of Flowers to place your next order. We have a wide variety of fresh floral arrangements you’ll love, regardless of the occasion.