Did you get flowers on Mother's Day? Want to keep them looking great as long as possible? Of course you do! Flowers are expensive! There are a few steps you can take to keep that vase of flowers looking better longer.
Here’s what to do to keep your flowers looking fresh longer, according to a pair of floral experts:
- Change the water and do it often - Adding fresh, lukewarm water to a clean vase will keep them healthy. The key to vase arrangements lasting longer is replacing the water as frequently as possible. This is the MOST important and most helpful thing you can do to keep flowers looking great.
- Trim the ends - Recutting the ends of the stems will add to their longevity, but don’t go using blunt kitchen scissors. Use a sharp knife so you don't damage the stem. If you damage the stem, you reduce its ability to take up water. And make sure you clean whatever cutting tool you use with alcohol. The stems need to be cut at a 45-degree angle at least half an inch from the end to get rid of any clogs.
- Add pennies, but only old ones - This hack only works with pennies minted before 1982, when pennies contained copper - a fungicide that prevents disease. New pennies are mostly made of zinc, so they no longer have antimicrobial properties.
Here are some cut-flower tips that don’t really work as well:
- Adding sugar or Sprite to the vase can act as plant food to extend the bloom, but it’s not as effective as those little packets of commercial floral preservative.
- Beware if you add bleach to fresh flowers. Adding a teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water can help kill bacteria and fungi, but adding too much - which is easy to do with just a vase full of water - can kill plant cells.
- Avoid adding vodka, vinegar or aspirin to cut flowers. These tricks may work in some cases, but in a mix of flowers, they may not all benefit from the additives.
Photo: Getty Images