We all love to receive a bouquet of fresh, bright flowers, don’t we? Be it an anniversary or a graduation ceremony, or a random brunch date, a bunch of fresh blooms can make the occasion more special by leaving ever-lasting impressions. Also, as much as they make the perfect gift for others, you can gift one to yourself too!

But do you know the sad part about these bouquets? They do not last forever! Yes, that is the only thing we wish to change about these lovelies. On a brighter note, with some care on your part, you can preserve your gorgeous bouquet and let them breathe life into your space for a little longer.

Here in this blog, we have covered a few tips and tricks that you can use to make your flowers look good as long as possible.

Tips to keep them fresh:

Put them in a clean vase:

One of the primary reasons why flowers wither quickly is the presence of microbes such as bacteria and fungi. So, for your flowers to stay fresh, keep them away from these harmful microbes. And for this to happen, you will have to make sure that the vase is clean. Yes, it all starts with a clean Vase!

So, do not let any harmful microbes take away the freshness of your flowers, and make sure to clean your vase thoroughly before using it.

Give the stems a fresh cut:

When you receive a bouquet of fresh flowers, you get farm-fresh flowers that have a cut to last. But for them to last a little longer, you will have to put in some work. What you can do after receiving a bouquet is that you can give the stems a fresh cut. For this, you can use a clean and sharp pair of scissors and cut down the stem at an angle of 45°. Chop them off at one to two inches. Giving this new cut to the stem will allow the flowers to soak up a good quantity of water. It is because they do not sit flat on the bottom of the vase. Hence, they will stay longer than usual.

Give them their necessary food:

Yes. For your flowers to stay a bit longer, you will have to feed them too. Also, it is essential to give them the appropriate quantity of flower food to prevent overfeeding.

You must have seen a small sachet of flower food with your bouquet. Do you wonder what to do with that packet? And are you too tempted to throw this packet in the trash bin? If yes, you might be taking away essential food from your flowers. Most of these packets that come with a bouquet have three ingredients. These ingredients are vital for your flowers as they help them stay fresh. It contains Citric Acid, Sugar, and Bleach. The Citric acid in the packet is there to lower the pH levels of water. It will allow the water to move better throughout the flowers. The sugar present in it provides food to your flowers, and the bleach acts as a protection against harmful microbes like bacteria and fungi. It kills away these microbes that could harm your flowers.

One thing that you must note is that you should not use the entire packet at one go! Since you might have to change the water multiple times, it will be wise to use a tiny bit each time you change the water in the vase.

Another tip here could be that if you miss out on such a sachet of flower food, you can use ingredients from your kitchen to feed your flowers. Yes! To lower the pH levels, you could add a teaspoon of vinegar. Also, adding a spoonful of sugar will make sure to provide enough carbohydrates, and you could add just a few drops of bleach to kill the microbes in the water.

Put them in the right amount of water:

The longevity of your flowers also depends upon the amount of water you use in the vase. Putting an adequate amount of water in the vase will allow your flowers to soak up the amount of water without decay. For this, you could fill up the vase half to three fourth with water instead of filling it up to the top.

Also, another point to remember here is that when you put the flowers into the vase, none of the leaves or the petals should be touching the water. And in case any of them sit on the water, you will have to strip them off, or it will spoil the bouquet.

Keep them away from direct sunlight and heat:

Most flowers love the sunlight and bright spaces. But once you cut them off, this changes. To store them for a bit longer, you will have to keep them in a room with cool temperatures.

Also, you will have to keep them away from anything that generates heat and even open windows. In case your bouquet is exposed to direct sunlight or appliances that produce heat, it will lose freshness and wither away soon. So, keep your bouquet in a cool, shady place and away from direct sunlight.

An ideal way to store them could be in a refrigerator with a temperature of 40°F or below. This way, flowers will soak up water for a longer duration and maintain their freshness. Also, another crucial thing to remember here is to keep your bouquet away from fruits. The fruits emit ethylene gas (a type of plant hormone). This gas helps the fruits ripen, but at the same time, it fastens the speed of the blooming process of flowers. Hence, your bouquet might die out faster if kept near fruits. 

I hope by now you must have got an idea of storing your bouquet and how to make them last longer. Also, if you are aware of more ways to preserve these lovelies, please leave them down in the comments below!