The first ten minutes
Most of what decides how long a bouquet lasts happens in the first ten minutes after it is unwrapped. A stem that has been out of water for a few hours seals at the base, and a freshly cut stem drinks again immediately.
- Fill a clean vase with cool water and stir in the flower food that came with the bouquet.
- Cut 2-3cm from the bottom of every stem with sharp scissors or a knife, at an angle. Blunt scissors crush the stem and block it.
- Remove every leaf that would sit below the waterline. Leaves in water rot, and the bacteria that follow clog the stems.
- Stand the flowers in the vase and leave them somewhere cool for an hour before you put them on display.
Every two days after that
Tip out the water, rinse the vase, and refill with clean water and a little more flower food. Re-cut a centimetre or two from each stem while you are at it. Cloudy water is the clearest sign a bouquet is on its way out, and changing it is the single habit that adds the most days.
Take out anything that has gone over. One wilting stem releases ethylene and feeds bacteria, and it will shorten the life of its neighbours.
Where to put the vase
Flowers last longest somewhere cool and bright, out of direct sun. A sunny windowsill in a Melbourne summer will cook a bouquet in a couple of days, and so will a spot above a heater or television.
Keep them away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas, which ages cut flowers faster, especially roses, carnations and snapdragons.
Flowers that need a little extra
- Hydrangeas drink through their petals as well as their stems. If a head droops, lay the whole stem in a sink of cool water for half an hour.
- Tulips keep growing after they are cut and lean towards the light. Cut them short and turn the vase every day to keep them upright.
- Lilies: pick the pollen-covered anthers off as the flowers open. It stains petals, clothes and tablecloths, and removing it also helps the flower last.
- Daffodils give off a sap that shortens the life of other flowers. Stand them in water on their own for a few hours before mixing them into a vase, and do not re-cut them afterwards.
Questions we get asked
How long should a bouquet last?
With fresh water and clean cuts, most mixed bouquets look good for about five to ten days. Roses, lilies and chrysanthemums are usually at the longer end, while tulips, sweet peas and ranunculus are shorter-lived. Heat shortens all of them.
Do aspirin, copper coins or sugar help?
There is no reliable evidence that they do. Flower food works because it supplies sugar, adjusts the acidity of the water and slows bacteria together. Clean water and a fresh cut matter more than any home remedy.
Should I keep flowers in the fridge overnight?
You do not need to. Most florists store flowers cold, and a cool room does the same job. A cooler spot overnight can add a day or two for special occasions, as long as the fridge is not full of fruit.
From the shop
We deliver across Highpoint, Maribyrnong & Melbourne's Western Suburbs, same day when you order by 1pm. Delivery areas and fees.
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