Flowers can brighten anyone’s day and can leave a lasting impression, however, they don’t last forever. So whether you received a bouquet of flowers or you got one for yourself, we’re sure that you want it to last longer. After all, just the sight of flowers in your space can set you in a good mood in an instant.
The good news is there are a lot of easy ways you can extend the life of your flowers. We’ve gathered the most useful and helpful tips in this post so you don’t have to look further. Read on!
Look for the Best Spot
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The best spot to place your arrangement is in a shaded, cool area with indirect sunlight. Colder temperature helps preserve your flowers. Another thing to consider when placing your arrangement in the kitchen is to keep it away from your fruits.
Did you know that fruits or vegetables can affect the life of your flowers? Believe it or not, there are some that produce ethylene, a gas released by some fruits and vegetables that cause them to ripen faster, and therefore can contribute to your flowers wilting faster.
Cut the stems
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Like the wound on our skin, the cut on a flower’s stem will heal itself to protect it from infections. The cut will dry out and seal itself decreasing, or even completely stopping, the chance for water to penetrate the rest of the stem.
So if you just bought flowers, cut one to two inches from the bottom at a 45-degree angle first before putting in a vase with water. Make sure to trim it again every three days with sharp scissors or pruning shears.
Pruning the leaves
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You might think that the extra leaves on your flowers aren’t supposed to be removed as they may wilt the flowers faster. That’s actually wrong. In fact, removing any extra leaves, below the waterline, make your arrangement look better and prevent bacterial growth. It will also keep the water clean and free of odour.
Use the right size of a vase
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When choosing the vase to use for your flowers, it’s important to note how long their stems are. According to NYTimes Wirecutter, “the length of the flower stems should be no more than one and a half to two times the height of a vase”.
If in any case that you only have a small vase and your flowers have long stems, this may require you to trim the stems significantly.
Keep the water fresh
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Needless to say, clean water will significantly help to keep your arrangement to stay fresh longer. Just remember to take out the flowers every two to three days to change your water.
Remove dead flowers
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No matter how you try to keep all the flowers fresh, there will always be one or two that will start to wilt first. When this happens, don’t hesitate to remove them right away as they may cause moulds and affect the other blooms. This will also help to keep your arrangement looking good.
