3 Cut Flower Hacks for Lasting Blooms

Ready to turn over a new leaf and give your florals the longevity they deserve? We’ve 3 top tips from our favourite purveyors of freshly hand-picked blooms, who have talked us through exactly how to make your stems stay alive – and thrive!

1. Provide a happy home

Keep your flowers away from fruit bowls, as fruits produce ethylene, which can make your flowers wilt faster. Also, keep them out of direct sunlight, that way they'll be happier for longer!

2. Trim your stems

Your stems can be sleepy when they arrive, but they'll soon perk up. It’s been 24 hours since they were plucked from a field, so they’re just feeling a little dry and lacklustre. They need a drink, but before you plunge them into your vase, it’s vital that they can fully quench their thirst…and that’s where stem-cutting comes in.

Trim with a quick, clean cut, at an angle, using clean secateurs or gardening scissors. This gives a bigger surface area for the water to travel up the stem. Flower ends can quickly become waterlogged and mushy in water, so you’ll need to re-cut them every few days to stop them from drooping.

3. Focus on flower food

Cloudy, mucky looking water detracts from your arrangement (and the smell of old flower water really isn’t pleasant…) and it’s also not great for maintaining the good health of your flowers. If you want your blooms to last as long as possible, you need to replace your water every three days, adding fresh flower food each time. This stops them from ageing and drooping prematurely, due to a magic combination of three ingredients. See below…

How does it work?

As well as the bleach, which keeps the water sparkling clean (and stops your flowers getting all blocked up) there’s sugar, which gives your flowers a much-needed boost of energy. Finally, the natural acid offered by the lemon juice will balance the pH of the water and help to combat the build-up of bacteria in your vase.