The quick answer: Use a clean vase with lukewarm water and flower food. Strip any leaves below the waterline and re-cut the stems at an angle with a sharp knife. Keep the vase away from heat, sun and fruit, and top up the water daily.
Cut flower care in 6 steps
1. Add flower food to a clean vase
Mix the flower food packet that came with your bouquet into lukewarm water. Follow the packet directions. Too strong can damage flowers, so if in doubt, go weaker. Flower food keeps stems firm, leaves green and colours bright. It also stops the bacteria that block stems from drinking.
2. Remove leaves below the waterline
Leaves sitting in water rot and feed bacteria. Keep the leaves above the water, though, because they help the stem draw water up.
3. Re-cut the stems
Cut 2–3 cm off each stem at an angle with a sharp knife or clean stem cutters, then put it straight into water. Once a stem is cut, it starts sealing itself, so a fresh cut lets it drink. Dull scissors crush stems and shorten vase life.
4. Keep flowers cool and out of direct sun
Heat speeds up bacteria and makes flowers open and fade faster. Avoid sunny windows, furnace vents, heaters, A/C vents and drafty doorways.
5. Top up the water daily
Check the level every day and make sure every stem is well under water. Nothing kills flowers faster than a dry vase.
6. Keep flowers away from fruit and smoke
Ripening fruit and cigarette smoke give off ethylene gas, which makes flowers age faster. Don't put your bouquet next to the fruit bowl.
Special care by flower type
| Flower type | Water depth | Water temperature | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roses | Deep (half the stem) | Lukewarm | Use a tall vase. |
| Tulips, daffodils, iris (bulb flowers) | Shallow, 4–6 cm | Cool | Shallow water slows opening. Refill daily. |
| Gerbera daisies | Shallow, about 10 cm | Lukewarm | Fuzzy stems rot in deep water. |
| Lilac, forsythia (woody stems) | Normal | Very warm | Warm water helps thick stems drink. |
Daffodil tip: Freshly cut daffodils release sap that shortens the life of other flowers. Let them stand in their own vase for several hours before adding them to a mixed bouquet, and don't re-cut them afterward.
FAQ
Why did my roses wilt so fast?
Usually an air bubble, a kinked stem or bacteria is blocking water from reaching the bloom.
How to revive a wilted rose:
- Re-cut the stem 3–5 cm higher, above any bend or damage.
- Lay the whole rose, stem and head, in a sink or pan of warm water (about 38°C) and keep it straight.
- Leave it for about an hour. It usually perks up.
- Return it to a deep vase with fresh water and flower food.
What should I use to cut stems?
Use a sharp, clean knife, craft blade or stem cutter. Sharp blades don't crush the stem, and clean ones don't spread bacteria.
My tulips are drooping. Does a penny in the water help?
No. The penny trick is a myth with no science behind it. Tulips often bend when first put in a vase and then straighten toward the light within 12–24 hours. They also keep growing after they're cut, often several centimetres, and some varieties are naturally loose and floppy.
When buying tulips: look for firm stems, crisp leaves, and heads sitting at or just above the top leaves.
What's in flower food?
Three things that mimic life on the plant:
- a biocide to kill bacteria that clog stems
- an acidifier to help water move up the stem
- sugar to feed the bloom
What can I use if I don't have flower food?
Try this easy homemade mix. In 1 litre of lukewarm water, stir in:
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp household bleach
Change the water every 2 days. Commercial flower food still works best.
Why use lukewarm water?
Warm water moves up the stem faster than cold water. Bulb flowers like tulips and daffodils are the exception and prefer cool water.
My vase water is cloudy and brown. What do I do?
That's bacteria. Wash the vase, refill it with fresh water and flower food, and re-cut the stems.
Should I re-cut stems more than once?
Yes. Every 2–3 days, re-cut the stems, wash the vase and refill it. A fresh cut gives the flowers a clear path to drink.
Some flowers are dying but others are still opening. What should I do?
Pull out spent blooms as they fade. The bouquet will look fresher, and the remaining flowers get more water and space.
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