How To Make Flowers Last

Today’s feature blog post is from Frugal Upstate with this tip: Making Flowers Last:

I really love cut flowers, but we don’t splurge on them very often. Of course I like to make them last as long as possible when I do get them. So here is what I do.

The tips are:

• Keep the flowers out of reach for children
• Cut the stems on an angle to make sure the capillaries are wide open to take up water
• Remove all leaves below the water line
• Keep water in the vase
• If there was no flower food packet included, add a crushed aspirin and some sugar to the water
• When the flowers begin to fade, re-purpose the rest of the bouquet

Good tips! Scientific American also has some tips to keep flowers fresh and last longer:

A rose’s vibrant red dulls to dried-out brown, and flowers begin to droop. Some say adding a citrus-flavored soda, such as 7-Up or Sprite, or an alcohol like vodka to the vase of water will lengthen the time these flowers remain beautiful.

According to floriculturists, they are right; if the mixture of soda and water is in the correct proportion, a bouquet will remain bright, because the combination provides the flowers with the water and food they need. “The 7-Up formula works really well,” says Susan Han, a professor in the plant, soil and insect science department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Vodka also works as a flower preservative by interfering with the plant’s ripening process but it is less practical to use.

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