How often should I change the water for cut flowers?

Ideally every one or two days. In summer, or with flowers that foul the water quickly such as sunflowers, it is best to do it daily. Use the moment to rinse the vase and trim the stems a little.

Does adding sugar or an aspirin to the water help?

Home remedies have no solid backing. Sugar on its own can feed bacteria. What works best is the sachet of flower food, which combines nutrients, an acidifier and a biocide, together with clean water and a clean vase.

Why does fruit shorten the life of flowers?

Many ripe fruits, such as apples and bananas, release ethylene, a gas that speeds up ripening and the ageing of flowers. That is why it is best not to put the bouquet next to the fruit bowl.

What do I do if a rose bends at the neck?

It usually happens because air got into the stem and water is not reaching the flower. Re-cut the stem under water and submerge the whole rose in cool water for a while; it often recovers.

How to make a bouquet last longer

A beautiful bouquet deserves to last as long as possible, and the good news is that making a bouquet last longer largely comes down to a few simple habits. Cutting the stems properly, keeping the water clean and picking a good spot at home can add several days to the life of your flowers. In this guide we explain what to do as soon as the bouquet arrives, how to look after the water and the vase, where to put it, what fruit and ethylene have to do with it, whether flower food is worth using, and which tricks to apply to roses, tulips, hydrangeas, lilies and sunflowers.

Before we start, an honest note: every flower has its own life cycle. Some last a few days and others more than a week, and no amount of care works miracles. What you can do is help each flower reach the end of its natural cycle instead of wilting early.

As soon as the bouquet arrives: first steps

The first minutes at home matter most, because the flowers have spent some time out of water or with very little water.

Prepare a clean vase with fresh water before you unwrap the bouquet.
Remove the wrapping carefully. If the bouquet comes with a water base, empty it over the sink.
Strip the leaves that would sit below the waterline. Submerged leaves rot and fill the water with bacteria.
Cut the stems by a couple of centimetres, at an angle, with a sharp knife or pruning shears. An angled cut leaves more surface to absorb water and stops the stem sitting flat against the bottom.
Put the flowers in water straight away. The less time between the cut and the water, the less air gets into the stem.

Avoid blunt kitchen scissors: they crush the stem and make it harder for water to rise. There is also no need to smash woody stems, an old practice that many florists now advise against because it damages the vessels.

Water and vase: cleanliness first

A bouquet’s number one enemy is bacteria. They multiply in the water, block the stem’s vessels, and the flower stops getting water even when the vase is full.

A clean vase. Wash it with detergent and rinse it well before use. A green film or marks inside are a sign of bacteria.
Room-temperature water for most flowers. Bulb flowers, such as tulips and daffodils, prefer cool water.
Change the water every one or two days. When you do, rinse the stems and the vase.
Trim the stems slightly each time you change the water, to open a fresh cut.
Remove flowers that are finished. A wilted flower fouls the water and speeds up the ageing of the rest.

Where to put it: temperature, light and fruit

Where you place the bouquet matters as much as the water.

Away from direct sun. Sun warms the water and dries out the petals.
Away from heat sources and draughts: heaters, radiators, air-conditioning vents, the oven or the top of the fridge.
Away from ripe fruit. Many ripe fruits, such as apples, bananas or tomatoes, release ethylene, a gas that speeds up ripening. In flowers, ethylene makes petals drop sooner and buds fail to open properly. Keep the fruit bowl and the bouquet in different rooms.
Away from smoke. Cigarette smoke also contains ethylene.
A cool spot at night. If you can, move the bouquet to the coolest room in the house overnight. Flowers age more slowly at lower temperatures.

In a Montevideo summer, with hot and humid days, these steps make an even bigger difference.

Flower food and home remedies

Many bouquets come with a sachet of flower food. It is worth using: it usually combines sugars that feed the flower, an acidifier that helps water travel up the stem and a biocide that holds back bacteria. Dissolve it in the amount of water stated on the packet; too strong or too weak and it loses its effect.

And home remedies? There are plenty going around: sugar, aspirin, a copper coin, a few drops of vinegar or bleach. Most have no solid backing, and sugar on its own can feed the bacteria rather than the flower. If you have no flower food, the best alternative is simple: clean water, a clean vase and frequent changes.

Tips for each flower

Every flower has its quirks. Here are tips for the most common ones.

Roses

Remove thorns and leaves that would sit under water, without scraping the stem too much.
The outer petals sometimes arrive slightly marked: they are guard petals and can be gently removed.
If a rose bends at the neck, it is usually because air got into the stem. Re-cut it under water and submerge the whole rose in cool water for a while. It often recovers.

If you love them, see our rose bouquets.

Tulips

They keep growing after being cut and curve towards the light. That is normal.
They prefer cool water, and not much of it: a few centimetres at the bottom of the vase is enough, but check the level often because they drink a lot.
If you want them to stay straight, wrap them in paper and stand them in water for a few hours before arranging.
Do not mix them with freshly cut daffodils: daffodil sap can shorten their life. If you want to combine them, leave the daffodils alone in water for a few hours first.

We have tulip bouquets for when they are in season.

Hydrangeas

They are very thirsty and also take in water through their flower heads.
Use a vase with plenty of water and mist the flowers from time to time.
If they wilt, cut the stem and submerge the whole head in cool water for a while; they usually recover.

Lilies

As they open, remove the anthers (the pollen-covered tips) with a tissue: the pollen stains clothes and tablecloths.
Remove flowers as they fade so that the buds on the same stem keep opening.
Take care if you have cats: lilies are highly toxic to them, even the pollen. We explain this in our guide to flowers toxic to cats and dogs.

Sunflowers

Their heads are heavy: use a tall, stable vase.
They drink a lot and foul the water quickly, so it is best to change it every day.
Strip most of the leaves from the stem, as they wilt before the flower does.

See our sunflower bouquets.

Common mistakes that shorten a bouquet’s life

Using a vase that has not been washed since the last bouquet.
Leaving leaves under water.
Putting the bouquet in the sun, on the windowsill or next to the heater.
Placing it beside the fruit bowl.
Topping up the water instead of changing it.
Cutting with blunt scissors.
Forgetting to remove wilted flowers.

In short

To make a bouquet last longer: a clean vase, stems cut at an angle, no leaves under water, fresh water every one or two days, flower food and a cool spot away from sun and fruit. Add the tips for each flower and you will enjoy your bouquet for many more days. At Klumba Flores we work with seasonal flowers, fresh and chosen for each bouquet. Choose yours in the catalog, add it to the cart and place the order on the site; the florist will write to you to confirm.

How to make a bouquet of flowers last longer