TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS LAST LONGER

Flowers are one of those little things that just end up bringing so much joy and this summer has been no exception.  In spring, my daughter and I planted pots brimming with globe amaranth, zinnias, cosmos, dianthus, rosemary, basil, chocolate mint, and the vases and vessels teeming with blooms around the house have been bountiful all summer long.  Whether I’ve snipped some flowers from my own potted garden or I picked a handful on a grocery store run, I’ve learned a few pointers over the years for getting them to last longer in vases and wanted to share a few of my favorites here today!

I shared a post a while back on how I can stretch my hydrangeas to three weeks (you can read about it here), but here are a few other tips I swear by and have been using for years for healthy, happy blooms for longer:

Snip the ends.  I always keep a pair of sharp shears handy to snip blooms from the garden or if I’ve bought a bouquet from the grocery store.  I snip them on a diagonal (not sure if this really helps them drink more water or not, but I’ve been doing it for years and it hasn’t failed me yet). 

Remove any leaves that will fall below the water line in the vase.  Any leaves left on the stem and submerged under water will breed bacteria which will, in turn, kill your flowers faster.  Removing all the leaves that are on the stem but will fall under the water line is a must!

Use the flower food packets that come with the flowers!  This is such an easy way to extend the life of your flowers and provide the minerals they need to remain healthy.  I have a glass vase filled with extra packets from over the years, but I also keep a container of this on hand and put a scoop in my vase every time I change out the water.

Refresh the water every day.  Water breeds bacteria, and flowers need water, so changing out the water every day or, at the very least, every other day, is a great way to extend their life. 

Snip the stems every couple of days.  I like to snip about a quarter inch off the stems every few days so that they can continue to drink as much water as they need and help keep them fresh.

Toss dead blooms. This is a no-brainer, but sometimes blooms that are fading get lost in amongst the healthy ones and can contribute to more bacteria in the water. Toss individual stems as they die to keep the rest of the bunch healthy!

Arrange the blooms naturally – don’t crowd them!  One tip I actually picked up from one of Ina Garten’s cookbooks that has always stuck with me is to arrange flowers as they would grow naturally in a garden and not crowd them.  The more you cram in there, the more you end up damaging the blooms themselves. 

What are some of your favorite ways to keep your arrangements thriving for longer?