How to Keep Your Flowers Fresh Longer — 9 Tips From a Dalton Florist

A well-built bouquet should give you ten days to two weeks. Most people lose a week of that in the first 48 hours. These are the nine things we tell every customer who picks up an arrangement at our Dalton studio.

1–3: Water, cutting, and the vase

Change the water every two days — cloudy water is bacteria, and bacteria plugs the stems. Recut half an inch off each stem at a 45-degree angle under running water each time you change it. And wash the vase with soap when you refill; rinsing isn't enough.

4–6: Heat, sun, and fruit

North Georgia summers are hard on flowers. Keep the arrangement out of direct afternoon sun and away from heat vents. Skip the spot on top of the TV or fridge — appliance heat is the quiet killer. And keep the bowl of bananas across the room; ripening fruit releases ethylene gas, which ages blooms fast.

7–9: Food, foliage, and triage

Use the flower food packet, and use the whole thing in the right volume of water — half a packet in a full vase does almost nothing. Strip any leaves that sit below the waterline. And once a bloom or two goes, pull them out immediately; a decaying flower speeds up the ones next to it.

One bonus: overnight in a cool room (or the garage, if it isn't freezing) buys days. It's the same reason we keep our Dalton cooler running right up until the delivery van leaves.