Keeping Your Flowers Fresh

I'm sure I am not the only one who has a laundry list of jobs they filled during their high school and college years. It's actually an interesting question to ask new friends. What interesting places did you work at? For me I held down the fort at many kinds of places - waitress, bartender, dry cleaner, fast food worker, cook, nanny and floral shop. Working in a floral shop was a cool place to meet people who are at many places in their life. I worked with as many funeral clients as I did weddings. While it wasn't always fun it was a way to bring smiles to people's faces at the best and worst times in their lives. When I got to write this fun piece for a client on flowers I decided why not share.

The Ultimate Guide to Long Lasting Flowers

That special someone wowed you again with a beautiful bouquet of your favorite flowers. Whether it’s a dozen scarlet red roses or a simple pair of yellow blooms, you can’t help but be brightened by their arrival. The flower shop delivered them with handy instructions for how to get started. You followed the directions and put them in water - now there they sit looking beautiful! The only problem is that in just a few days they will start to wilt and your special delivery will be in the garbage bin. What if there were ways to help your flowers last longer and stay beautiful? Here are some ways to keep those beautiful buds blooming longer and even more beautiful!

Flower Shop Pro Tip #1: Add Some Fizz

As medical professionals are collectively cautioning us against our favorite soda pop, we are tasked with finding additional uses for the bubbly sitting idle on our shelves. One of the coolest ways to use up that extra soda stored in the pantry is to help boost your blooms with bubbles. Roses and other flowers flourish in the presence of sugar. Many floral experts have found that by using around ¼ cup of regular sugary soda in your vase water you can add days to the life of your flowers. If you are using a clear vase use clear soda and no one will know your secret bloom booster.

Flower Shop Pro Tip #2: The Bartender’s Solution

Another cool way that flower experts are recommending to prolong the life of your fresh roses is to add a little booze to give them some extra encouragement. North Carolina State University Horticulturalist John Dole told Scientific American, “When you add a few drops of vodka to vase water, it probably delays wilting by inhibiting a flower's production of ethylene, a ripening gas that plants emit”. Thus outlining how vodka can be used as another innovative way to lengthen the time you can enjoy your fresh cut flowers. By giving your flowers back some of the nourishment that was diminished when it was cut, you can add to their natural beauty as well. Just a few drops of vodka (or any clear spirit) to your water (along with a teaspoon of sugar) can seriously lengthen your roses life. Make sure to change out the water/vodka/sugar mix every other day.

Flower Shop Pro Tip #3: Keeps Headaches Away Too

Want to know how you can both cure a headache and enhance your fresh roses? Try aspirin! This oldie, but goodie has been shown to keep fresh cut flowers fresher, longer. Simply crush one aspirin tablet and add it to the water. The salicylic acid housed in the aspirin tablet will keep the water clean and free from potentially damaging bacteria.

Flower Shop Pro Tip #4: All Day Hold

Hairspray can do so much more than just keep fly-aways in check. It has been used to keep ladies stockings from running, remove stains and even kill bugs. Now we know that just a spritz of hair spray can keep your cut flowers looking fresher for longer. Hold the can several inches away from the blooms and spray the underside of buds and leaves. This is a great way to keep those roses looking beautiful longer.

Flower Shop Pro Tip #5: Keeps Whites Whiter and Blooms Bloomier

Another bacteria-busting agent that can help further your flower power is none other than household bleach. Who knew that something we all have on hand could add days to the life of our flowers? By adding just a quarter teaspoon of bleach per quart of water you can amp up your roses. Another option is to add a few drops of bleach along with a teaspoon of sugar to do double duty. Not only will your vase water stay clean, but any potentially harmful bacteria will be kept at bay.

Flower Shop Pro Tip #6: ACV

ACV or apple cider vinegar has become a pantry staple for everything from making salad dressing to boosting immunity. Horticultural experts recently found that ACV can also help keep cut flowers looking better longer. By mixing 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar into your flowers water you will extend their life and keep them looking their best.

Flower Shop Pro Tip #7: A Solution for Pocket Change

We’ve all heard the adage, “see a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck”. But did you know they might have been referring to the luck of your fresh flowers? Ok, maybe that wasn’t the reason behind the rhyme but it is true that adding pennies to your vase water can help keep your flowers spruced up. The copper found in in pennies acts as an acidifier, which means that it inhibits bacterial growth. Since bacteria are no friends to your fresh roses, pennies will add cents to your blooms.

Flower Shop Pro Tip #8: Sweeten Your Way to Better Bouquets

One of the key ingredients in many commercial plant foods is some form of sweetener. Sugar is one of the best things to add to your vase water to extend the life and the beauty of your fresh cut bouquet. Dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of white sugar for each quart of warm vase water. The sugar will feed your plants while the vinegar will keep bacteria levels to a minimum.

Flower Shop Pro Tip #9: Chill Out Your Roses

Experienced florists know that cold temperature slow the aging process in cut flowers. This is why most flower shops keep cut blooms cool before they reach their final destination. So why not put flowers in the fridge when you are not enjoying them? The simple act of putting your roses in the fridge while you sleep will extend their life for days and keep them looking beautiful during the day. You can’t enjoy them while you sleep so why not extend their beauty while you are awake?

Flower Shop Pro Tip #10: Trim and Trim Again

Most of us know that we should trim the ends of flower stems when they arrive. But did you know that trimming should be a process during the life of your fresh cut flowers? When the petals begin to wilt this is because they cannot move the water through the entire stem to get water to the blooms. To aid in this process you can simply shorten the stem. As flowers start losing their luster, trim the stems. You can trim multiple times to keep the flowers fresh for as long as possible.

These are ten of the most innovative and creative ways to keep your fresh cut roses looking their best for longer. Fortunately, many of these hacks use things you keep around your house. By helping your flowers with extra boosts every other day you can keep their beauty for over a week. Give them a try and see which is your favorite.