Start with a clean vase. Always wash vases and containers.

After you dispose of your last arrangement, be sure to wash your vase thoroughly in hot soapy water. Bacteria build up in dirty vases and do not go away just because the vase dries out. Give your flowers a fresh, clean environment free of bacteria and they will last much longer.

Keep your flowers away from heat and bright light.

Some people think that cut flowers like bright light, but sun and heat will only encourage them to “mature” and quicken their demise. To help them last as long as possible, find a cool dark spot for your cut flowers instead.

Avoid placing flowers near ripening fruit or vegetables.

Ripening fruit, especially bananas and apples, give off an invisible gas called ethylene. This gas is deadly to flowers. When your vase of flowers is next to ripening fruit, you’re exposing them to this gas and they will age more quickly and drop their petals.

Refill the water frequently. Completely change the water every 2-3 days.

Water, water, water! Flowers drink a lot. Keep your vases full to ensure that flowers do not dry out and wilt. A large bouquet can absorb all the water in a vase within the first day or two.

 Use sharp snips or scissors when cutting.

If a dull cutting tool is used to trim your stems, it damages the tissue of the stem tips. Damaged tissue cannot absorb water as effectively as healthy tissue. Sharp scissors will make a clean cut that ensures remaining cells are unharmed.