How To Keep Flowers Fresh: 5 Top Tips

Flowers in a stylish vase are such a lovely addition to any home, adding pops of colour and a fresh scent around the room. They’re also a great way to remember a celebration, whether it’s a recent proposal, a birthday party or a graduation.

It’s hard not to love fresh flowers, but knowing how to keep flowers fresh can be difficult, especially if you’re not used to having them in your home.

In fact, it sometimes feels as though once you start getting used to seeing them in the house, they’ve already begun wilting with petals starting to litter the surrounding area.

Knowing a few simple tricks can help keep flowers fresher for longer, along with their vibrant colours and delicious scents.

Why do fresh flowers need looking after?

It can be easy to assume that simply plucking some flowers from the packaging and popping them into your favourite vase with a bit of tap water will be more than enough.

But, if you know a bit more about flowers and plants in general, you’ll know they need a bit more attention if you’re going to get the most out of them.

Fresh flowers get their stunning colours and aromas when they are well-fed and in an environment that suits them.

They can only get this from where you place them, and from the food you give them. Due to their lack of roots, they rely solely on their stems which can quickly become blocked up, as the roots would normally filter out any harmful toxins.

How to keep flowers fresh

Thanks to our picky flowers needing extra special care, there are some common mistakes that people make that will impact how fresh their flowers are.

By avoiding these and doing right by your flowers, you’ll keep them happier, which means they’ll be healthier and more beautiful for longer.

1. Give them the right water

The first mistake you should avoid making is not providing fresh flowers with the right type of water and giving them tap water instead.

This is due to harmful bacteria in the water that will impact the stems and leaves of a flower, hurting their chances of being able to process nutrients properly.

To keep them healthy, begin by washing out the vase you’d like to use and wiping it clean, then topping it up with lukewarm, filtered water. This water should then be changed every day, using the same method each time.

2. Add flower food

However, just using the right water isn’t enough. If you want to know how to keep flowers fresh, flower food is your answer.

Flowers get their nutrients from the soil they grow in, but water doesn’t hold the same minerals as the earth.

So, give your plants a helping hand and extend the life of fresh flowers with added food. But, be sure to add it back in each time you change the water, or the flowers could start to wilt.

3. Prepare the flowers’ stems

Cutting your fresh flowers’ stems might seem like a harsh thing to do, but it’s actually in their best interests.

Cutting the stems at an angle will ensure they’re at their most efficient to be able to take in maximum water from the vase.

Cutting the stems will also help the flowers to stand in the vase more comfortably, so that the flowers last longer and the vase of water doesn’t become too crowded.

When cutting the stems you should also ensure any plant leaves are removed as they will rot and bacteria will spread and kill your flowers.

4. Put your fresh flowers in a prime spot

Fresh flowers look beautiful on a kitchen table, a windowsill or even a coffee table if you don’t have pets hanging around.

But, they don’t always prefer the spots that you do, and will often start to wilt and not hold the same healthy look of freshly cut flowers if they don’t like where they’ve been placed.

To keep them healthy and fresher for longer, keep them away from direct sunlight, radiators and fruit bowls!

Yes, you read that right. Fruit bowls can harm fresh flowers as the produce in the bowl releases a gas called ethylene which interferes with the ethylene in flowers and speeds up the ageing process.

5. Be prepared for your fresh flowers

You don’t need to be an expert to know how to keep flowers fresh, but having the right equipment will help you to be there for them when they need some extra support.

Grab some gloves and secateurs to be able to get into the leaves and stray stems that the flowers don’t need.

If some stragglers need to be helped to position in the vase, have some plant clips ready and pop them into shape.

Having a spare planter to hand for flowers that have come still in their soil is always handy, and they often make beautiful wall decorations.

If you’re feeling ready to begin looking after your flowers now that you know how to keep flowers fresh, why not check out B&M’s full range of fresh flowers?

We have roses and lilies, carnation collections, radiant blooms and wildflower bunches that you can order to be delivered the next day.

Don’t forget to keep us up to date with how your fresh flowers are doing, and any purchases or tips you’d recommend to people wanting to help their fresh flowers last longer. Get in touch with the B&M Community on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.