Keeping Cut Flowers Fresh for Longer

I love having flowers in my home. Whether they are fresh flowers from my garden, beautiful arrangements from a florist or even silk flowers, the splashes of color that they add to a room are absolutely fundamental to my living space. That being said, cut flowers only last so long before they begin to wilt and die. What can I do to preserve their beauty and enjoy them for longer?

Of course, I could go the gardening route and get container plants for my home. But I really prefer the look of cut flowers in a beautiful vase. Also, I don’t really have the green thumb necessary or the time needed to make indoor planter flowers bloom. Silk flowers are an option I have used in the past and they look good, but they don’t offer the true experience of real flowers.

Aspirin:

This has been the most common tip I have heard over the years and, after many trials with this trick, I can tell you that it doesn’t work as advertised. Side by side with the same flowers in plain water, the aspirin seems to do nothing.

Bleach:

Bleach is highly poisonous and while it might stave off any mold or bacteria that might want to attack the stems of your flowers, it will also poison the flowers and cause them to lose their color even though they have shown signs of wilting less.

Sugar:

This one actually showed some benefits. The blossoms opened wider than they should have and kind of exploded outward, but they did indeed look fresher for a little longer. I would suggest changing out the water daily with this method to avoid flies and fermentation.

Flower food:

This is really your best option. The flowers that had been fed with flower food stay brighter for longer and resisted drooping. The difference was notable and substantial.

 If you want to keep that bouquet or flower arrangement looking as good as it can for as long as it can, flower food is really your best bet. If you don’t want to go for a more natural route, a little sugar (about a half teaspoon with every change of the water) can help but, too much can cause explosive and erratic blooming. If you are really afraid of wilting and drooping flowers, silk flowers are probably a better option for you. But, I promise that there is nothing like fresh flowers to brighten up a home.