How to Prolong the Vase Life of Fresh Flowers

Co-authored by Malori Maeva

Last Updated: November 22, 2022

If you love having cut flowers in your home but wish they'd last longer, there are some easy things you can do to lengthen their vase life.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Prepare Your Vase

1
Fill your vase with warm water. This encourages quicker water intake for flowers that have been cut.
- Add Cut Flower Food. Flower food provides nourishment and a bactericide so the flowers can stay healthy. If you don't have flower food, use a little sugar, a few drops of lemon juice, and a couple drops of bleach to the warm water.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Prepare Your Flowers

1
Remove any leaves that will be below the water line. If you leave them, they'll start to foul the water and your flowers will die sooner.
2
Cut an inch or two from the stem at a 45º angle immediately before placing them in the warm water. This will increase in the amount of water your flowers consume, increasing the flower's lifespan.
3
Make sure there's enough room in your vase. Flowers are alive and they need to breathe. If your vase is too crowded, either use a larger vase or move some of the flowers to a different vase.

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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Keeping Your Flowers Fresh

1
Change the water as needed. Replace the water every day to keep your flowers fresh. Make sure any debris or wet leaves are removed from the vase before adding fresh water.
- Be sure the ends on all stems and in the water. Pay attention to the flowers with shorter stems.
2
Trim the stems regularly. Trim the stems every every couple of days when you're changing the water. Use something sharp to cut the stems at a 45º angle. An angled cut increases the surface area the flower can use to absorb water.
3
Water flower arrangements with foam. A florist may use floral foam to hold your flowers in place. Simply pour water on the foam (never the flowers) or let the foam soak in a basin of water.
- You would dump the excess water out of the vase the same way you’d dump water from a traditional flower arrangement.
4
Use a flower preservative when changing the water. This will insure your flowers have all what they need to thrive.
5
Choose a good place to display your flowers. While esthetics matter, you need to keep your flowers in the best possible environment to keep them longer.
- Keep cut flowers away from direct sun and other sources of heat.
- Avoid placing them near fruit, which releases ethylene gas that will speed up the maturation process and cause wilting.
- Drafts and breezes, even cool ones, can reduce the flowers' lifespan by encouraging evaporation from the petals and leaves.
6
Remove wilted flowers. Cut off all wilting flowers whenever you notice them so they don't shorten the life of your flowers. Wilting flowers release ethylene gas which will encourage your fresh flowers to speed up their life cycle and wilt prematurely.

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About This Article

Co-authored by:

Florist

This article was co-authored by Malori Maeva. Malori Maeva is a Florist and the Founder of Form Floral in Phoenix, Arizona. With over eight years of experience, she specializes in both the administrative and creative aspects of floristry, styling, and design. Malori holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Columbia College Chicago. This article has been viewed 20,332 times.

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Co-authors: 7

Updated: November 22, 2022

Views: 20,332

Categories: Cut Flowers

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