Tricks to Keep Flowers Looking Fresh

Is there anything better than fresh flowers?  I think not!  One of the most inexpensive design tips to help brighten and cheer up your home is to display fresh flowers!  They can literally transform a room from feeling dull and boring, to a space filled with energy, color, and life!  The only downside to fresh flowers is that sometimes they don't last quite as long as you'd like.  Today I am going to share some excellent tricks to help keep your flowers looking fresh for longer.  You'll be shocked at the amount of life you get out of your blooms, just by following these simple steps! 

PREPARING YOUR FLOWERS FOR DISPLAY:

1. Cut the Stems
Cut 1-2 inches off of the stems of your flowers before placing them in water, and cut at an angle.  Why at an angle?  Cutting at an angle allows for better water intake since they aren't sitting flat on the bottom of the vase.  Keep re-trimming your boquet once every few days.

2. Prune 
Remove any foliage and leaves below the water line.  This will keep your flowers looking nice and clean, while also preventing bacterial growth.  

3. Select a Vase
Find an appropriate sized vase for the boquet of flowers you have.  Too narrow of a neck might damage the flowers, but too wide of a neck won't allow the boquet to hold it's shape nicely.  Make sure you clean it and remove any dust before using.  

4. Fill Vase with room temperature water, and a packet of flower food.
You don't want the water to be too hot, or too cold- room temperature is ideal for flowers.  Make sure the flower food is mixed well with the water.

5. Add Soda!
Believe it or not, adding 1/4 cup of soda (lemon lime) to the vase of water has been proven to help your blooms last longer!  Pro Flowers did a grand experiment trying different methods to keep flowers looking good, and soda was the #2 best thing you can do! (I'm mentioning #1 further down in this blog post)  Here are photos to prove it:

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FLOWER MAINTENANCE: 

6. Clean out water in the vase
Every 2-3 days, you should take all of the flowers out the vase, and re-cut the stems.  Wash out the vase to keep bacteria at bay, and fill with fresh, room temperature water and another packet of flower food.  Do this on repeat and your flowers will thrive!

7. Display your flowers in cool places if possible
Avoid direct sunlight, heating or cooling vents, electronics and appliances, etc.  Also, don't put them near fresh fruit, as ripening fruits release tiny amounts of ethylene gas which can reduce the longevity of your fresh arrangement.

8. Put your flowers in the fridge at night
This was a new idea to me, but it makes total sense!  After all, florists always keep their flowers in cold fridges!  It's been said that putting your flowers in the fridge for 8 hours every night, and then taking them out again in the morning will do wonders for your blooms!  Flowers thrive in cool places, and low temperatures help slow the aging process.  After their experiment, Pro Flowers found that this was the #1 way to keep flowers looking wonderful!  

via pinterest

 What tricks have you found that help keep your flowers looking nice?