How to Extend the Life of a Flower Bouquet

If you were given (or gave) live flowers and want the bouquet to last long, change the water more often and trim the stems. Occasionally remove wilted petals and leaves. What other nuances there are and how to care for each flower to keep the bouquet fresh for a long time, read in our article.

Tulips

These flowers need very little water. Wash the vase with soap and pour ice-cold water into the bottom. Trim the stems carefully on a cutting board with a sharp knife in the same motion as you cut green onions. Place the bouquet in the vase, ensuring each stem touches the water. Add ice-cold water to the vase daily or several times a day so that the edges of the stems are always slightly submerged in water.

Hyacinths

These spring flowers have thicker stems than tulips, which makes them even more susceptible to rotting. Therefore, the rules are the same: clean vase, ice-cold water at the bottom, straight cut like with onions, add water every day. If you feel the stems have softened, refresh the cut. For this, buy hyacinths with the longest stems possible. These plants look great with roots! So it's not necessary to buy cut ones. Bulbs can be planted when the soil warms up, on the dacha.

Narcissus

These flowers should not be mixed with others in a bouquet — give narcissus bunches simply as they are, without anything else. When cut, they release sap into the water that is toxic to other flowers. That’s why bouquets with narcissus wilt quickly. But individual flowers will last well if you change the water more often and trim the stems.

Interesting Fact

Cut flowers do not like to be next to fruits. Do not place vases with flowers and fruits near each other, even if it looks beautiful together on the table. This is because many fruits release ethylene into the atmosphere, which causes live flowers to wilt quickly. This applies to bananas, pears, peaches, and apples. And for some reason also tomatoes.

Hydrangeas

These flowers love water, so bathe them in a bathtub more often. Submerge the plants in water for six hours or better yet, overnight. Otherwise, they will wilt by the next day. Like narcissus, hydrangeas don’t get along well with other flowers.

Roses

It is not recommended to submerge them under water, contrary to popular belief. Instead, use a sharp secateur to cut the stem at a very sharp angle, almost parallel to the surface, before placing it in the vase. Change the cut more often, ideally every day.

Interesting Fact

To make a bouquet last longer, pour a shot of vodka or vinegar into the water, or add a permanganate solution, or throw in an aspirin tablet to clean the water. But it’s better to add special fertilizers for cut flowers.

Alstromerias

Just like roses, these flowers (and all plants with solid stems: matthiola, lisianthus, eustoma) should be cut at an angle with a very sharp knife or secateur.

Lilac

First of all, cutting this plant is not eco-friendly, and by buying lilac, you support its illegal logging. But if someone gave you branches of this tree, we recommend making a slant cut, scraping off about two to three centimeters of bark. This will at least extend the life of the flowers.

Interesting Fact

Flowers with white petals fear water. In general, any buds should not be soaked. Greenery must be moistened: the more humid the leafy bunch in the bouquet, the more comfortable the flowers will be. Cover buds and thorns and mist the leaves with a spray bottle.