How to Make Your Flowers Last Longer: A Florist’s Guide
By TheFlow Team · Reviewed by Anita Dudutite, founder & floral designer
· 4 min read
In this article
Key takeaways
- We recommend getting flowers into a clean vase of fresh, room-temperature water as soon as they arrive.
- Every couple of days, change the water, trim the stems at an angle, and remove fallen leaves and fading blooms.
- Keep the vase out of direct sun and away from heat, drafts and ripening fruit, which all make flowers fade sooner.
- With this care, flowers usually look their best for 5 to 10 days, depending on the flowers and your home.
A bouquet leaves our studio fresh and carefully designed, and from there its life is in your hands. A few minutes of care on the first day and a short routine every couple of days will keep your flowers beautiful for longer. Here is the routine our florists recommend.
Day one: what to do as soon as the flowers arrive
The sooner flowers are back in water, the better. If you weren’t home, don’t worry: we contact the recipient in advance, and if a house has no delivery instructions, we leave the flowers at the door in a safe, shaded place. Bring them inside and follow these steps:
- Wash the vase. Use warm soapy water and rinse it well. A clean vase keeps the water clear longer.
- Fill it with fresh, room-temperature water. Fill it most of the way, so every stem sits well below the surface.
- Remove leaves below the waterline. Leaves that sit in water break down and cloud it quickly. Strip them off by hand or with scissors.
- Trim each stem at an angle. Use clean, sharp scissors or shears. An angled cut gives the stem more surface to drink from.
- Choose the right spot. Keep the flowers out of direct sunlight, away from heaters and drafts, and away from the fruit bowl (more on that below).
How to care for a hand-tied bouquet
A hand-tied bouquet is designed to go straight into a vase as one piece. Remove the wrapping, and if the stems are tied, leave the tie in place: it holds the shape our florist built. Trim the stems below the tie, then set the whole bouquet into the vase.
Pick a vase that is tall enough to support the stems and wide enough that they aren’t crushed together. If you don’t have the right one at home, our Clear Glass Cylinder Vase 7 1/2 in is a simple, classic choice, and you’ll find more shapes among our vases.
Browse our bouquets to see the full range. Some designs, like Tenderness, also come as Tenderness & Vase, so the flowers arrive ready to display.
How to care for a vase arrangement
An arrangement from our flowers in a vase collection arrives already designed in its vase. Your job is to keep the water fresh without undoing the design.
- Check the water level every day. Top it up with fresh, room-temperature water whenever it drops.
- Change the water regularly. Hold the stems together gently with one hand and tip out the old water, or lift the whole arrangement out, rinse the vase, and set it back.
- Trim a few stems at a time. Lift out two or three stems, trim them at an angle, and return each one to its place, so the shape stays the same.
Arrangements such as Sunshine & Vase are a good choice when the recipient may not have a vase on hand.
The every-couple-of-days routine
After day one, a short routine every couple of days is what keeps flowers looking fresh. It only takes a few minutes:
- Change the water. Pour out the old water, rinse the vase, and refill with fresh, room-temperature water.
- Trim the stems at an angle again. Over time, the cut ends absorb less water, so a fresh cut lets them drink well again.
- Check below the waterline. Remove any leaves or petals that have fallen into the water.
- Remove any fading blooms. Taking out a tired flower keeps the rest of the bouquet looking its best.
Where to keep your flowers
Placement makes a real difference. Even the freshest stems fade sooner in the wrong spot. Keep your flowers away from:
- Direct sunlight. A sunny windowsill looks lovely, but bright light and warmth push flowers to open and fade faster. A bright room out of direct sun is ideal.
- Heat sources. Heater vents, the stove, the top of the TV or a warm appliance all dry flowers out.
- Drafts. Air-conditioning vents, fans and doors that open and close often all speed up wilting.
- Ripening fruit. Keep the vase away from the fruit bowl. As fruit ripens, it releases a natural gas that makes flowers age faster.
How long will your flowers look their best?
With the care above, flowers usually look their best for 5 to 10 days. The exact time depends on the flowers in your bouquet and the conditions in your home, so the routine is your best tool.
Before delivery, we send you a photo of your bouquet by email or SMS, so you know exactly how it looked when it left our studio. If you have a color palette in mind, we can adjust colors on request, and our florists can design a custom bouquet around your budget and mood. Add a note to your order or call us at (323) 800-8421.
Sending flowers as a gift?
Our personal card note is free, and it is a nice place to add a short care reminder: “Fresh water and a trim every couple of days.” If the gift is a surprise, tick “Send anonymously” at checkout, and we will contact only you and follow your instructions.
Ready for something fresh? Order by 12 PM Los Angeles time for same-day flower delivery, or order online any time for a date ahead. Delivery fees depend on your ZIP code, and delivery is free to 76 ZIP codes near our studios. Check yours on our delivery areas, fees and times page, then choose from our bouquets or flowers in a vase.
Questions & answers
How often should I change the water in a flower vase?
Why should you cut flower stems at an angle?
Should I remove the tie from a hand-tied bouquet?
Why do flowers die faster near a fruit bowl?
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Written by
TheFlow Team
The florists of TheFlow’s four studios — West Hollywood, Downtown LA, Mar Vista and Beverly Hills. We design and deliver bouquets across Los Angeles every day.
Reviewed by
Founder & floral designer, TheFlow. Anita founded TheFlow in 2021. She trained at the California School of Floral Design and has more than 8 years of experience designing flowers for Los Angeles clients.
