How To Make Bouquets Last Longer

Written on March 26th, 2025

Make your beautiful Mother’s Day blooms last longer with our top bouquet care tips.

Displaying some gorgeous blooms is a lovely way to brighten up your home in spring, but it can be difficult to know how to take care of a bouquet of flowers. Whether you’re hoping to extend the life of a thoughtful gift or looking to make your favourite bouquet last, we’ve got you covered with our top tips.

Preparation

Before you display your flowers, there are some crucial steps to follow to help prolong the life of the bouquet and keep all the buds fresh and healthy. Firstly, you need to choose the right vase. Depending on the length of the stem, you’ll need either a tall or short vase, and for arrangements with fuller heads, a wider, ‘fishbowl’ shape is ideal for allowing each bloom enough space and ensuring it looks even.

No matter the size or shape of the vase you choose, it’s crucial to make sure it’s clean of any dust, dirt, or residue from past arrangements. This’ll help the water stay fresh and dirt-free, reducing the chance of any bacteria growing.

Once you have your vase all ready, it’s time to prep the flowers. Remove them from their packaging and cut the stems at an angle, this’ll help improve water intake and keep them looking lively. You can repeat the stem trimming every few days to ensure it’s as easy as possible for the flowers to get water.

Displaying your bouquet

The environment you display your bouquet in is key when it comes to making them last longer. To prevent wilting, it’s important to keep them out of direct sunlight, strong heat, or draughts. Keeping flowers away from fruit will also help slow down the aging process. This is because fruit emits Ethelene gas when ripening, and whilst this is good for fruit, it can cause flowers to wither and droop.

Maintenance for your bouquet

There are many good and easy ways you can help maintain your flowers, such as changing the water regularly, continuing to trim the stems, and keeping the vase clean, but these are the main two tips that can help keep your bouquet looking lovely!

Once bacteria grows in the water, it can cause the plant to die and prevent healthy blooms from forming therefore it’s critical to prevent any growth. One way to do this is by ensuring any foliage that sits below the waterline is gently trimmed and removed to stop the leaves passing bacteria into the water.

Another way to help maintain your blooms is by using flower food. After flowers are trimmed and removed from the soil they grew in, they no longer have a direct source of all the nutrients needed to stay healthy. Flower food can help provide them with the essentials and keep them looking fresh for a little while longer.

If you’re looking for more beautiful blooms and bouquets, you can order online from Flowers By Booths by clicking below: