Fresh cut flowers are a staple in our home during the growing season, and bring me so much joy. It’s hard watching a beautiful arrangement fade, but luckily, there are ways to make fresh cut flowers last longer in the vase.
With just a little extra care from the way you harvest flowers, to cutting them, and caring for them after arranging, you can extend the life of your cut flowers and enjoy them for days (or even weeks!).
As someone who loves growing and arranging cut flowers, I’ve learned a few tricks along the way to help keep arrangements looking lively and fresh for as long as possible.
(See a roundup of my best and worst flower arrangements for 2024 in this post.)
I’m excited to share my 8 tips and I hope these will help you enjoy your flowers for longer as well.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you buy through my links, I could earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only discuss products that I love and think you’ll love, too. I’m glad you’re here and thanks for reading!
8 Tips to Make Fresh Cut Flowers Last Longer
Tip 1: Use Clean Tools and Vases
Wash vases in hot soapy water and clean tools with disinfectant before arranging flowers. Bacteria shortens the lifespan of flowers, so the cleaner we can keep the environment our cut flowers live in, the longer they will survive after being cut.
I often use recycled glass jars as vases because they are easy to pop in the dishwasher and clean before using again.
Tip 2: Make Clean, Angled Cuts
Using your sterilized snips, cut floral stems at a 45-degree angle. This helps flowers intake more water and keeps the stems from resting flat on the bottom of the vase, which could block water absorption.
It’s also important to use very sharp snips or scissors so you don’t crush or tear the stems. Damaged stems will not be able to drink water and will increase points of entry for bacteria, which leads to shorter vase life.
These are my favorite snips for cutting floral stems:
Tip 3: Strip Foliage Below the Water Line
Before putting flowers in a vase, strip all foliage that falls below the water line. Leaves in the water can promote bacterial growth that will clog stems and keep them from being able to hydrate.
I usually remove foliage from my floral stems while I’m harvesting flowers outside and leave them in the mulched pathways so I have less mess to deal with when I get inside.
Tip 4: Condition Flowers
Fresh cut flowers should be going into a bucket of water immediately after harvesting to keep them well-hydrated. Fill the bucket with lukewarm water and dissolved flower food. Keep the stems submerged and place the bucket in a cool, dark location for 3 hours or overnight.
Flowers will be conditioned and ready to arrange with!
Tip 5: Add Flower Food
Add flower food to the vase and every time you change the water. Flower food is a mixture of sugar, citric acid and bleach.
The sugar provides nutrients for the flowers; citric acid helps flowers absorb water; and bleach helps to prevent bacteria from growing.
I buy one of these jars of flower food every spring and it typically lasts me an entire year just making cut flower arrangements for myself and a few to give away.
If you want to go the DIY route, you can try this recipe from The Spruce.
Tip 6: Change Water Regularly
Change out the water in the vase every day or every other day to keep water clean and fresh. Remember to add the right amount of flower food to the fresh water.
If the water gets cloudy, remove and rinse stems, and recut using clean, sharp snips. Then refill the vase with fresh water and flower food.
Tip 7: Avoid Direct Sun, Heat, and Fruit
Flowers will last longest in cool, shady conditions that are draft-free. For me, this isn’t a problem as I’m typically displaying flower arrangements along inner walls of my home away from windows and vents.
But sometimes fruit can be an issue! Fruit releases ethylene gas as it ripens, which will cause flowers to wilt. The top fruits to avoid placing next to your cut flower arrangements are:
- Bananas
- Apples
- Pears
- Stone fruits (peaches, plums, etc.)
- Avocados
- Tomatoes
Tip 8: Choose Flower Varieties that Naturally Last
Certain flowers have a naturally long vase life. Some of these flowers include:
- Zinnias
- Statice
- Chrysanthemums
- Celosia
- Alstroemeria
- Lisianthus
- Hydrangeas
- Amaranth
- Gomphrena
- Feverfew
Pair the flowers with long-lasting foliage and enjoy your arrangements for two weeks or more!
Don’t forget that you can edit the vase as flowers wilt or turn brown. Remove unattractive flowers or foliage and replace with fresh ones if you can.
Or you can choose to re-arrange the flowers and create an entirely new look with the remaining floral stems.
Growing a Cut Flower Garden?
Cut flowers are one of my favorite things to grow in my backyard garden. If you’re curious about growing cut flowers, check out one of these posts on Not Quite a Homestead.
- A Small Cutting Garden Plan for Beautiful, Homegrown Bouquets
- 10 Easy Cut-Flowers for Beginners
- How to Start the Cut Flower Garden of Your Dreams
- How to Grow Incredible Zinnias from Seed Right Now
Get the Most Enjoyment Out of Your Flowers
So, those are my 8 tips for making fresh cut flowers last longer in the vase. Of course, there will be times when we can’t implement all 8 tips, and that’s OK.
Just keeping basic flower care in mind can add a few days of vase life to your arrangement.
All good things eventually come to an end, and that’s what makes flowers so special. They don’t last forever, so you just have to enjoy them for as long as you can.
So slow down. Drink in the sights and scents of your floral arrangement. And take lots of pictures!