Most bouquets die several days earlier than they need to, and almost always for the same few reasons. Here is what actually extends their life.
The first ten minutes matter most
- Unwrap the bouquet as soon as it arrives
- Fill a clean vase two-thirds full with cool water
- Cut 2 to 3 cm off each stem at a sharp angle
- Strip leaves that would sit below the waterline
- Put the flowers in and move them out of direct sun
Then, every two days
- Change the water every two days and re-cut the stems each time. This matters more than anything you add to the water
- Keep them away from direct sun, radiators and air-conditioning vents
- Keep them away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit gives off ethylene, which makes flowers age faster
Roses specifically
Ecuadorian roses with 70 cm stems drink heavily in the first day. Check the water level the morning after delivery — a vase that looked full can be noticeably down. If a rose head droops at the neck while the rest look fine, that is usually an air lock: re-cut that stem under running water and it often recovers within a few hours.
Georgia summers
Heat and air conditioning are both hard on cut flowers, in opposite ways. Direct sun through a window will cook a bouquet in an afternoon, and an air-conditioning vent dries it out. The best spot in a Georgia summer is an interior table away from both.
What about the little sachet?
Flower food genuinely helps — it feeds the flowers and slows bacteria in the water. But it is not a substitute for changing the water. Clean water with no sachet beats old water with one.