When you take your beautiful bouquet of flowers home, you will look at them and wish they’d last forever. I can’t tell you how to do that, but I can give you a few tips for how to make them last as long as possible.

At Little Wagon Farmstead your flowers are cut the day you take them home and I always put them in fresh water, with flower food, which will keep them healthy and fresh longer.

The freshest flowers drink the most water, so make sure to check on your water level daily and try to keep the jar at least 1/2 full to ensure all the stems have plenty to drink.

Every 2-3 days you will want to freshen up the water to keep the flowers happy. When it’s time to change out the water, I always dump the water from the Mason jar, rinse the jar a few times to remove any grime, add a little flower food, then refill the jar until it’s about 1/2 full. The flower food is important because it will deter bacteria in the water, which keeps your flowers looking fresh, longer.

It’s also important that you trim the stems of your flowers so they have a fresh cut stem to drink up the water. You don’t have to trim much, I recommend about 1/2 inch from each of the stems, each time you change out the water. Make sure you use sharp scissors or gardening sheers to get a clean cut on the stems. If you use dull scissors it will crush the stem base and the flowers won’t be able to drink up as much water.

Each time you change out the water make sure to remove any dying flowers or filler. Some flowers last longer than others but the ones that start to die in the bunch, will quickly spread bacteria to the others, so if you remove them, it will keep the rest of the flowers looking fresh, longer. Many of our flowers will look fresh for up to two weeks if they are well maintained.

Most flowers will last longer if they are kept out of the direct (hot) NorCal sunlight. The flowers that always last the longest in our home are on the kitchen island where no vents blow on them, or in our bathroom because it maintains cool temps all summer long. Also a fun fact I read last year is that placing a fresh bouquet of flowers next to ripening fruit will make the flowers wilt quicker. I’m not sure what the science is, but my guess is that it’s the same effect that bananas have on avocados. Either way, I recommend not placing them next to each other.

Follow these simple steps and you’re flowers will bring you many days of joy and smiles!