How to Make Fresh Flowers Last Longer

A bouquet of fresh flowers can brighten up any room, but without roots to sustain them, they’ll start to wilt and die in a vase. Thankfully, there’s a way to make those colorful blooms last much longer with proper care. You’ll need to take a few extra steps beyond snipping your stems and throwing them in a vase, but trust us: The payoff is worth it.

“Taking proper care of your flowers will help them last longer,” says Kate Law, product designer for ProFlowers. But there’s no need to buy fancy preservatives or so-called flower food. You can use pantry staples to give your roses and daffodils an extra burst of life. The following steps by Law and Michael Gaffney, founder of the New York School of Flower Design, can keep your flowers living longer with common household ingredients.

Step 1: Add 1 quart warm water to a clean vase.

Step 2: Pour 2 Tbsp sugar into the water. The sugar will help nourish the flowers and promote opening of the blooms.

Step 3: Add 2 Tbsp white vinegar and stir well. The vinegar helps inhibit the growth of bacteria and keeps your flowers fresher longer. If you don’t have vinegar and/or sugar, lemonlime soda mixed with the water will do the same thing.

Step 4: Remove all lower leaves from flowers so there won’t be any in the water.

Step 5: Cut 1 to 2 inches off the stems at an angle while they are under water.

Step 6: Arrange your flowers in the vase. Step 7: Display your bouquet in a cool, draft-free area. Avoid direct sunlight, which causes the flowers to die more quickly.

Step 8: Change the water every other day and re-cut the stems each time.

Step 9: Enjoy your long-lasting flowers! Other Pointers:

Tulips grow a few inches after they are cut and will continue to grow toward the closest light source.

Hyacinths should not be cut down off the bulb. They actually last longer if left on the bulb.

Daffodils should not be put in a vase with other flowers. They secrete a substance that kills other flowers when in the same vase. (www.womansday.com)