Flowers are a great way to freshen up a space and bring in some life and color. But it always seems that after just a couple short days they’re already starting to wither away.
In an attempt to help you keep your flowers alive a little longer, we’ve put together a list of 9 things florists recommend to help extend the life of your flowers.
1. Make Sure Your Vase Is Clean
You want your vase to be as clean as possible so there’s no chance that bacteria or some nasty little microorganism will kill off your precious flowers.
2. Trim The Ends
Cut a little off the ends of the flowers at an angle to create more surface area for the water to be absorbed by. This will allow your flowers to suck up as much water as they can and prevent them from wilting and turning brown prematurely.
3. Put A Penny In The Bottom Of The Vase
Copper is a fungicide that kills bacteria. Since you don’t want bacteria in your flowers, putting a penny in the vase will help keep bacteria levels low and your flower petals high.
4. Spray Them With Hairspray
A light coat of hairspray on the underside of your flower petals will prevent them from wilting and keep your blooms perky for a few extra days. Hold the flowers upside down and lightly spray the underside of the petals. Keep them upside down for a few seconds until the hairspray dries, then place them in the vase like normal with water.
5. Keep them cold
Have you ever noticed that florists always have big fridges where they keep the precious flowers? That’s because keeping them cool keeps them alive longer.
6. Feed Them Flower Food
Those little packets that often come with flowers actually have a lot of benefits for the flowers. Not only do they have nutrients in them to help preserve the flowers, they also have small amounts of chemicals that kill bacteria and prevent mold from growing in the water.
7. Give Them A Sugar Rush
Well not actually. But a mixture of 1 cup of water, 1 cup of 7 Up and half a teaspoon of bleach, gives them the sugar they need from the 7 Up, and the bleach kills the bad bacteria.
8. Keep Them Away From Fruit
Ethylene is a chemical compound that some fruits produce as they ripen that kills flowers and other fruits around them. Keeping your flowers away from your fruit ensures that ethylene won’t be the cause of your flowers death.
9. Keep Them Away From Appliances And Electronics.
Most appliances give off heat when they’re being operated. Exposing your flowers to too much heat can dehydrate them and shorten their lifespan.
So the next time you’re treated to a beautiful bouquet try out a few of these tips and enjoy your flowers for a few extra days!
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