How To Make Fresh Cut Flowers Last Longer

Want to keep that bouquet of flowers fresh longer? Check out these tips on how to make flowers last longer.

I love having fresh-cut flowers in the house. It feels like such a luxury to have a big beautiful vase of flowers.

My family will sometimes do a girls' day where we take a flower class at a local florist.

Not only do we end up with a fresh vase of beautiful flowers but we get lots of tips on how to keep those flowers fresh!

Usually with the proper care I can get two weeks from the flowers. With a little bit of work, you can keep your flowers fresh for weeks too!

This trick works great on flowers from the store or if you are using flowers from your garden.

How To Make Fresh Flowers Last Longer

Without the "flower food" that your store-bought flowers come with you may find your fresh flowers fading quickly. Just use these items below to keep your flowers fresh.

Ingredients Needed:

• Bleach (just the plain household bleach)
• Lemon Juice
• Water
• Thieves Oil (if you don't want to use bleach)

Making Up The Flower Solution

Start by making up the flower solution.

Step 1: In a bowl or the vase you are going to use add about 4 cups of water.

Step 2: Then, mix in a teaspoon of bleach and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

Step 3: Stir well to mix the bleach and lemon juice throughout the water.

Once you have mixed everything together you can pour it in your vase.

Remove The Leaves

Before you cut the flower stems and put them in the vase you will want to remove some of the leaves.

The leaves will soak up the water and cause the flowers to wilt sooner. Plus, leaves can add to the bacteria in the water and cause mold growth.

Cut the Flower Stems

After you have the water in the vase then cut the ends of the flowers and place them in the vase.

You want to make sure you cut each stem and add it quickly to the water. The florist who teaches the class says the stem should be in the water mix within 30 seconds of being cut. So cut them one at a time.

Keep Away From Direct Sunlight

To help your flowers stay hydrated and keep them from wilting you will want to avoid direct sunlight as much as possible.

This little tip will help your flowers stay fresh and pretty longer. It is also a good idea to keep them away from high heat too.

Recut and Change Water Often

To get the most time from your fresh flowers you should recut and change the water often.

I have heard every other day is best, however, I usually do it every three days.

Just make up more of the solution and cut the flowers again.

The bleach will help keep any bacteria from growing in the water and the lemon juice will help improve the water flow in the stems.

If you don't like using bleach you can also use a couple of drops of Thieves Oil to keep the bacteria from growing. I like using bleach because it is cheaper.

I have had great results using this trick.  My fresh cut flowers from home are now last as long as the store-bought.

Stop throwing out flowers after only days. You can easily make your fresh cut flowers last longer than you ever imagined with this simple trick.