No matter which genus of flower you buy, there are things you can do to extend your bouquets vase life up to and beyond the general vase life advertised.

1: Replenish the Water Frequently and Change it Every Few Days

For the first few days you are keeping them in a vase flowers will be exceptionally thirsty. It is very common for an entire vase to be emptied by a floral arrangement within the first day of you bringing it home.

But merely topping up the water every time it is looking low is not enough. It’s best to pour the water out and replace it entirely if you want the flowers to last longer.

Leaving flowers in the same water for the entirety of their vase life will expose them to bacteria that damage the stems and reduce their longevity.

Changing the water completely will also avoid the smell of rot that sometimes comes from unchanged water.

When dealing with a complex floral arrangement, carefully pour the water out of the side as you might pour out of a boiling pan so as not to disturb the design.

2: Trim the Stems Every Time you Replace the Water

One inch makes all the difference. Trimming this off the stems every time you replace the water will, over time, make your bouquet slightly smaller.

But it will also expose fresh tissue that can absorb water more efficiently than old, breaking down tissue that has already absorbed a lot of water.

Your florist may have already done this for you initially, but when recutting stems, make sure that you cut them at a 45-degree angle.

Doing this increases the surface area of the stems and so again is important for more efficient water absorption.

The best tools to use to make these cuts are a sharp, sterile knife or a pair of pruning scissors. Using dull tools can damage stems.

3: Use Preservative Mixtures

It be worth concocting in a floral preservative mixture as well as lukewarm water to get you the most out of these flowers.

For a typical-sized vase, one common concoction is one tablespoon of sugar, two teaspons of bleach and two tablespoons of lemon juice for the perfect preservative mix.

Other substances that can be mixed into the plant water in small doses to extend vase life include soda, hairspray and aspirin.

4: Place a Coin into the Water

Adding a coin to the water is thought to acidify the water moderately, preventing the cultivation of bacteria harmful to the plants.

5: Add Vodka to the Water

Believe it or not, another substance you can add to your vase water to make the flowers last longer is vodka.

Vodka inhibits the production of ethylene gas, a plant hormone that contributes to maturity and ultimately decay and death.

By pouring just a few drops of vegas water into your vase, you can thus give your flowers a little extra spurt of life, and bring colour to your home.

6: Keep the Flowers Cool

High temperatures and direct prolonged exposure to sunlight will shorten the vase life of your blooms, so it is best to avoid spots such as the conservatory or kitchen window in which this is going to be an issue.

It’s also a good idea to keep flowers away from radiators for this same reason.

Each individual species of flower will likely have a temperature that they are best kept at it for vases, but generally, room temperature is the best.

7: Avoid Exposing the Flowers to Drafts

Open windows, cooling vents or ceiling fans will keep your flowers temperate, but there is a danger that they will cause them to dehydrate too quickly, reducing their vase life.

8: Keep the Flowers away from Ripening Fruit

You read that right, you should keep the fruit bowl well away from your beautiful vase of flowers.

Ripening fruit, apples and bananas in particular, produce large quantities of ethylene, the plant hormone that vodka inhibits.

A harmless gas for humans, as we’ve already alluded to it accelerates the maturity and thus the hastened death of even cut flowers.

Accelerating the maturity of flowers will, for example, include a flower to drop its petals faster. This will make it a less beautiful accompaniment for your mantlepiece or sideboard.

9: Wash your Vase Thoroughly After disposing of the Bouquet

It’s the saddest part of any flower purchase, but if you intend to replace discarded flowers, then make sure you wash the vase thoroughly before putting new flowers in them.

Even if you regularly replace the water and utilize preservative mixtures, there is still the residual risk of bacteria that will kill the new boquet just as it reduced the lifespan of the last one.

Clean it as you would a dirty dish, using hot water and soap, or, better yet, a dishwasher.

10: Choose your Flowers Wisely

While these tips are helpful, up to 70% of vase life is determined at harvest time. So it’s mostly determined by where it is grown and who cut the flowers for you.

With a flower such as a rose, which only has a vase life of 4-7 days, very little you do is going to make it last longer than a week.

But, if you have your heart set on one species, there are things you can look out for at the florist when staring at dozens of seemingly identical bouquets.

Inspect the flower petals for freshness, including brown or black spots, and check the stems are sturdy and firm.

Make sure that the bulbs have not completely bloomed at the point of purchase, remember if they bloom later then they will also die later.

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you some ideas of how to make the next floral bouquet you buy, whether for yourself or for that special someone, last that little bit longer.

At Fleur De Luxe we specialise in selecting the freshest most colourful flowers for our arrangements. All our bouquets are available for Birmingham flower delivery, and next-day delivery in the UK, with a 2pm cut-off for customers wishing to utilise this service.