After you’ve bought a Bouq for a loved one (or yourself), you may be worried about figuring out how to preserve your gorgeous flowers. The good news is that you’re already a leg up since you’re starting with high-quality, farm-fresh flowers. By following a few tips and tricks, you’ll know how to store flowers in the best possible conditions and be able to keep your flowers looking good for as long as possible.
Since you’ve signed up for the best flower delivery experience, why not keep the positivity rolling? Check out some of our favorite tips below to help your blooms shine for as long as possible, and for a visual aid, we also have our Fresh Cut Flower Care 101 video guide!
How to Keep Flowers Fresh: Care Tips for Fresh-Cut Flowers
When you purchase a Bouq, you’re receiving farm-fresh flowers that are cut to last. However, if you want long-lasting flowers, you’ll still need to put in some work. The following tips will help keep your flowers fresh for as long as possible.
Also, don’t be afraid to share these tips with friends and family. If you’re sending a sympathy flower delivery or ordering birthday flowers for a friend, the recipient might not know how to properly care for their bouquet. By sharing these tips, they’ll be able to keep their flowers fresh.
Start With a Clean Vase
Bacteria and fungi are some of the biggest reasons flowers quickly fade. Therefore, preventing these harmful microbes is one of the most important factors involved with keeping your flowers fresh. And this starts with the vase.
Whether you’re using an old vase or starting with a new one, you should thoroughly clean your vase before using it. When you choose the right way to clean a flower vase, you’ll kill any bacteria and fungi that can harm your new flowers.
Give Your Stems a Fresh Cut
After you receive your bouquet, it’s good to know how to keep flowers fresh, of course! To do this, first use a clean and sharp pair of scissors to cut each stem at a 45º angle. This will allow your flowers to take up as much water as possible.
Fresh Water For Fresh Flowers
One of the biggest mistakes new flower owners make is keeping the same water in the vase. While adding water is vital, changing this water is just as important! To help keep flowers fresh, you should change the water and clean the vase every other day.
Although Bouqs are beautiful, their stems tend to release bacteria that collect and grow along the glass of the vase. This bacteria is what causes flowers to droop and wilt much faster than they would if the water was consistently fresh.
Feed Your Flowers
When you receive your Bouq, you’ll also receive a small packet of flower food. While you may be tempted to toss this packet in the trash, don’t do it! This packet contains three simple ingredients that help your flowers stay fresh.
- Citric acid lowers water pH, which allows water to better move throughout the flower.
- Sugar provides your cut flowers with food.
- Bleach kills bacteria and fungi that could harm your bouquet.
Since you’ll be changing your flower’s water multiple times, you shouldn’t use the whole flower packet at once. Rather, use a bit each time you change the water.
If you misplaced your flower food packet, there are some effective alternatives. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to lower pH, a teaspoon of sugar to provide carbohydrates, and a few drops of bleach to kill microbes.
Use the Right Amount of Water
Another factor that impacts how long your flowers last is the amount of water you use. Using the right amount of water for your vase gives your flowers plenty of water to drink without drowning them.
A good rule of thumb is to fill your vase 1/2 to 3/4 full with water. When you place your bouquet in the vase, check to make sure none of the leaves are sitting in water. If some leaves are underwater, remove the bouquet and strip off these leaves.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
While many flowers love the sun when they’re growing, cut flowers are different! Sunlight can damage your blooms, so try to keep them out of direct rays. If you want to add some greenery to a bright window, you can always order houseplants for your home. Extended exposure to direct sunlight causes flowers to dry out faster. Your blooms might wilt, wither, and droop in heavy sunlight. To prolong the life and freshness of your Bouq, it’s best to display it in a place with bright, but not harsh, lighting.
Keep Away From Heat
Like you, your Bouq has a preferred temperature. It doesn’t like being hot, so keep away from heaters and warm drafts. One more thing to avoid is any drying air. Even once you’ve trimmed your stems and placed your flowers in water, they can still become dehydrated. To avoid dry and wrinkly flowers, keep your Bouq away from drafts and fans.
Keep the Petals Hydrated
As much as your fresh flowers need to drink up water through their stems, their petals will also benefit from a fine mist of water. Keep a spray bottle with fresh water next to your Bouq and mist the petals a few times a day.
Not much water is needed, just enough to keep the petals moist and fresh. Spraying the Bouq every time you walk by it is a great way to preserve fresh flowers.
How to Store Flowers Overnight
Now that you know how to keep flowers fresh, you might want to know how to store them overnight. Even though you can’t store all types of blooms in the refrigerator (succulents, cacti, etc.) many fresh cut flowers will last longer if you store them in a cool climate. While you probably want to look at flowers during the, you can store them in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the flowers more time to soak up the water and maintain their freshness.
Make sure the refrigerator is set to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below (but make sure it’s above freezing). Clear off an entire shelf for the beautiful Bouq and keep the flowers in a vase that is three-quarters full of clean water.
Make sure you remove ALL fruits from the refrigerator before storing your Bouq. Fruit naturally emits a type of plant hormone known as ethylene gas. While this helps fruits ripen, it also speeds up a flower’s blooming process. Therefore, it will cause flowers to wilt and die faster.
Storing Flowers for Events
If you won’t be displaying your Bouqs for a day or two, make sure you save the boxes they were delivered in, as you might need them to store or transport the flowers. As previously mentioned, most cut flowers will last longer when kept in a cool climate. Storing them in a refrigerator (like we talked about just above) allows the flowers to soak up more water and maintain their freshness.
To safely transport your Bouqs, you’ll want to make sure they’re snug and secure. Since you need to unpack the flowers and keep them hydrated and cool, it’s best if you can keep the Bouqs upright during the trip. To do this, use the delivery box. Cut a square just big enough to fit the vase snugly. This will keep the vase from tipping over.
If you’re just traveling to a nearby friend or neighbor, you can keep the flowers out of the vase, wrapping the stems in a damp paper towel to prevent wilting. Just be sure to place the Bouqs in water when they reach their final destination.
How to Safely Transport Flowers
When it comes time to transport your beautiful bouquet to your loved one, you’ll want to keep it safe and snug during travel. To do so, follow this advice for the best way to package and deliver your fresh flowers.
If you plan on delivering your flowers a day or two after you’ve received them, you should unpack them yourself. Follow the tips above to remove your flowers and place them in a water-filled vase. Make sure to save the delivery box — it will come in handy later.
When it comes time to transport your flowers, aim to keep your flowers upright and snug for the entire duration of the trip. One way to do this is to use your old delivery box. Cut a square that is just big enough to fit the vase. This will keep the vase from toppling over during the trip. If you’re only traveling a short distance, you can also forgo the vase. If you choose this route, wrap the stems in a damp paper towel. This will keep in moisture and prevent any wilting. Just make sure you place the bouquet in water once it reaches its final destination.
Additional Tips to Help Keep Flowers Fresh Longer
Warm/Cool the Water
Water temperature affects the blooms and how quickly they open. If you’d like to open flowers faster use room temperature water. The warmth allows for faster absorption of the H2O through the stems, causing the bloom to open faster. It’s kind of like taking a warm bath, your muscles relax. Once open, use cool water (or simply add some ice cubes to the vase) in order to keep the blooms lasting longer. Though water still absorbs into the stem, colder water slows any decay, bacteria, or mold from breaking down the organic matter.
Trim the Stems ¼ Inch Per Day
Simple and regular trimming allows for absorption and hydration. Always cut stems at an angle, and trimming a quarter inch off each stem per day will keep the blooms strong, nourished and beautiful.
Keeping flowers alive and healthy is easier than it sounds. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, these additional quick tips could make an impact on the lifespan of your blooms.
Order Long-Lasting Flowers
Now that you know how to keep flowers fresh in a vase, you can now purchase, store, and safely transport flower arrangements to your loved ones. When you start with farm-fresh flowers and follow these tips, you’ll end up with an arrangement that lasts for days. All that’s left to do is find your favorite bouquet and place an order today.
Get 20% off on Bouqs.com with code BOUQSBLOG. Exclusions apply.
FAQs for Keeping Flowers Fresh
How Long Do Bouquets Last in the Fridge?
Keeping your bouquets in the fridge will help them last a bit longer. The exact amount of time they’ll last depends on the type of flower as well as the time the flowers were cut. Expect bouquets to last anywhere from 5-14 days if you place them in the fridge at night.
Does Baking Soda Make Flowers Last Longer?
No, baking soda doesn’t make flowers last longer. When you add baking soda to water, you raise the pH. This is the opposite of what flowers want — lowering the pH will help water travel throughout a flower.
Why is Bleach Good for Flowers?
If you’ve ever cleaned with bleach, you know it can kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This is the same reason it’s good for flowers. When you add bleach to flowers’ water, you limit the buildup of harmful microorganisms.
With this said, too much bleach can harm your plants. You’ll only need to add a few drops of bleach to a vase full of water.
How Do You Store Boutonnieres Overnight?
The best way to store a boutonniere is to keep it moist and cool. Place your boutonnieres in a box and thoroughly mist them with water. Next, place them in a refrigerator overnight.
Does Putting a Penny in Flowers Make Them Last Longer?
In short, no, pennies will not help flowers last longer.
People began putting a penny with flowers when pennies were made from copper. They believed the copper would work to keep bacteria and fungi at bay.
However, pennies have changed. They’re now made from copper-plated zinc and contain a small amount of copper. If you place a penny in with flowers, it’s unlikely to make flowers last longer.
This article has been updated with better information since its original publication on November 19, 2021.
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