You’ve got some gorgeous flowers, now you want to keep them around as long as possible.

Here are my five top tricks to keep those beauties going strong:

1. ALWAYS use the flower food provided - I used to skip this step but I’ve seen first hand how two identical bouquets can have vastly different vase lives just from this one tip. Flower food provides the nutrients the plants need to stay alive longer but it also changes the Ph balance (acidity/alkalinity) of the water to keep the stem in just the right environment

2. Avoid direct sunlight. I know, I know those instagram worthy shots of the morning light on your blooms is to die for. Go ahead and capture those shots - but then move them to an area with lower lighting. The sun’s rays accelerate the aging process not just for us but for your petals as well

3. Keep fresh fruit and veggies far away. Some flowers are sensitive to ethylene, a gas emitted by some fruits and veggies and causes others to ripen more quickly (like bananas, pineapples, pears, oranges, tomatoes and avocados). We want to stop the ripening of our flowers, so if you have that lovely bowl of fruit on the table next to your bouquet, move one to a different spot

4. Trim the ends and refresh the water every 2 days or if it starts to look cloudy or dirty. This increases the chance that the stem will continue to pull water and nutrients up into the petals

5. Sanitize your vase between bouquets. The general rule here is: it’s not clean enough unless you’d eat off of it. Flowers are sensitive to even the smallest bacteria and bugs. We wash and sanitize every tool we use to keep our flowers as healthy and disease-free as possible. I like to run my vases through my dishwasher for an easy clean

Now sit back and enjoy the beauty!

Take a photo of your blooms and tag Four Winds Flowers: