How To Keep Flowers Looking Fresher For Longer

I’ve always adored fresh flowers and nothing beats coming home to a beautiful bunch of blooms on display. Ever since moving in above a gorgeous florist in Melbourne I’ve been able to regularly indulge my hankering for flowers, however it’s taken me some time to work out how to keep them looking fresh as long as possible.

// Cut The Stems
Flowers only drink through the ends of their stems and not through the sides of the stems, so it’s important to cut flower stems at an angle – which will allow the flower to take on a better intake of water. Unless you’ve just collected your blooms from a florist, chances are they have been delivered to you and therefore spent some time in transit. Cutting stems at a diagonal will remove any rot that’s built up allowing your flowers to get to the water straight away.

// Use Warm Water
It’s a common myth that flower should be placed in cold water, when actually they take on warm water qukcker so it’s best to place them in lukewarm water so they can satiate their thirst as soon as possible. Anything too hot, or too cold will shock the flowers, killing them quicker.

// Trim, Trim, Trim
As flowers only drink through the ends of their stems, vases shouldn’t be filled right up to the top with water, as foliage left on stems below the water line will pollute the water and feed bacteria which will make your flowers die too quickly. The trick is to change the water regularly, don’t let them sit in water that is slowly turning cloudy – this means your flowers are sad, and if they’re not dead already they will be soon!

// Flowers Are Hungry
Most flower bouquets nowadays come with a sachet of food which contains a mix of chemicals designed to nourish the plant. However if you don’t have one of these sachets, you can make your own flower food. I mix 2 tablespoons of applecider vinegar with 2 tablespoons of sugar into the water. I change the water every couple of days (adding more vinegar and sugar) and find this really helps the enhance the flowers longevity.

What are your tips to keep flowers looking fresh?