Top tips to keep cut flowers fresh

Fresh flowers from the garden. Nothing beats them, does it, for celebrating the fact that Spring has arrived?

My family is now resigned to my “natural” approach to flower-arranging, which is stuffing them in a vase and being grateful they’re all upright. Having gone to all that trouble, though, it’s good to make them last as long as possible.

Of course, that goes for bought bunches too and it’s lovely to be able to tell your floriferous benefactor, “They’ve lasted three weeks!” which gives him or her a warm glow at not having wasted their money.

So, with Mother’s Day this weekend, and Easter hot-foot after that, I thought I’d investigate exactly what you should do to extend the life of your cut flowers and this is what I’ve found.

General Points

1. Cut flowers when it’s cooler, first thing in the morning or in the evening. 
2. Keep the arrangement out of direct sunlight, out of draughts, and away from heat sources.
3. If possible, put the flower arrangement somewhere cool overnight.
4. Clean your vases before use. This reduces the proliferation of bacteria, which will block the stems and reduce water uptake.