I love receiving flowers. They are an emblem of beauty, love and appreciation. They add a pop of colour to your surroundings and a lingering scent of nature that freshens up the surrounding air. But every time I receive flowers, I would experience mixed emotions. I was elated yet at the same time feeling sad that the flowers would eventually end up in the dustbins. Flowers bring joy and how I wish the flowers could last forever! But I guess, like life, tangible things aren’t eternal. But while these flowers are still alive – radiating their natural beauty, we should enjoy it as much as we can. So how exactly could we keep our flowers lasting even longer?
Bouquets can typically last between 2 to 4 days depending on when the flowers are plucked and how you maintain them. Here are 5 simple ways to help keep the blooms lasting a little longer.
1. Trim the stems
Before placing the flowers in a vase filled with water, always trim off about 3/4 or an inch from the bottom of the stem. Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle where a greater surface area of the stem could be exposed to water, allowing more water to be absorbed.
2. Pluck away any excess leaves
Water could be channelled more effectively to the flowers instead of the leaves. Thus the flowers could last longer.
3. Change the water in the vase
Because of our humid warm weather, bacteria and fungi can grow easily whenever there’s moisture. Be sure to empty and wash the vase before refilling it with room temperature water on a daily basis. If the water in the vase gets cloudy, it is time to change it!
4. Place your flowers in a cool spot
Direct heat or sunlight can dehydrate the flowers. Place it in a cool spot and mist it to cool it and to keep it looking fresh.
5. Add flower food
You may notice that some flowers come with a packet of flower food or flower life extender. Flower food usually consists of citric acid, sugar and bleach. Sugar is food for the flowers while the bleach helps to slow down bacterial growth in water. Citric acid is required to lower the pH of the water and increasing the rate of water absorption to prevent the flowers from wilting. You could make your own flower food at home with some sugar, lemon juice and bleach. Some may even suggest adding aspirin to the water because it also helps to increase the acidity of the water.
I recently received the Lilah flower bouquet from A Better Florist. It comes with a personalised message card with instructions on how to keep the blooms looking gorgeous. A Better Florist offers free same-day delivery of fresh flowers islandwide in Singapore. Need to deliver flowers to someone special for a special occasion? You can get these beautiful flowers delivered in just 90 minutes.
For more information, check out their website: https://www.abetterflorist.com.
Very nice and helpful post! I often come home with a bunch oflovely flowers, that look great, but not good enough to be arranged in bouquets on the next day. I’ve tryied almost all tips on making my flowers last longer. And I’ve found that sometimes it can be very simple and easy – just disinfect the vase. Washing it with some bleach and water removes all kinds of bacteria iside the vase, and the flower feel quite good for a long time there. Greets!