Your flower bouquet could last twice as long—here’s how to keep it glowing

1. Choose resilient varieties

When picking out a bouquet, choose flowers with a long vase life. Carnations can stay fresh for a couple of weeks, and peonies for up to three. Chrysanthemums, alstroemerias, certain orchids, ranunculus, and goldenrod also last a long time. The sturdiest parts of a ready-made bouquet will still bring joy after you remove any wilted blooms.

Check out these tips to keep your peony looking beautiful for a long time! [in Finnish]

2. Take good care of your bouquet

A cut flower will last longer if you buy it in bud form and care for it properly. Change the water often so harmful bacteria don’t multiply. Trim the stems and rinse the vase if the water gets cloudy or slimy. Avoid placing flowers in direct sunlight or near radiators, fireplaces, candles, or fruit. Warm, dry air and fruit’s ethylene can make them wilt. Your arrangement will also last longer if you keep it somewhere cool overnight.

Support your bouquet using floral foam, a flower frog, or crumpled chicken wire.

3. Revive wilted flowers

If your bouquet was left on the car’s rear shelf and the roses droop as soon as you unwrap them, there’s still hope. Snip fresh stems, mist the leaves with cool water, wrap the bouquet in newspaper except for the stems, and place them in fresh water. Let the flowers recover for a few hours before unwrapping. You can also refresh them with a cool bath, as long as the blooms aren’t too delicate to withstand soaking.

Place a kenzan flower frog on the bottom of the vase to hold the flowers upright, creating airy, delicate arrangements even in a shallow dish. Check out this tutorial to make a simple flower frog out of a metal can!

4. Pick in the morning

A bouquet of wildflowers can be very sturdy with a few simple tricks. Pick them in the morning, when they’re most hydrated, and place them in a vase for a couple of hours in a cool spot, such as the fridge. This helps the flowers firm up and hold their shape. We recommend daisies, buttercups, cow parsley, cornflowers, and irises.

You can combine wildflowers and blooms from your yard with bouquets from your local store.

5. Cold or warm water?

When considering water temperature, follow this guideline: for firm stems, fill two-thirds of the vase with warm water; for softer stems, fill one-third with cold water. Remove any leaves that would rest below the waterline. Also, choose a vase about one-third the height of your bouquet to help the flowers stay upright, have enough water, and look balanced.

Some flowers turn brownish when they dry. If dried in the dark, mimosa (pictured here), goldenrod, roses, peonies, and lavender tend to retain their color well.

6. Dry them beautifully

Every cut flower eventually dries out. Make the most of it by hanging them so they dry beautifully. Tie the flower or bouquet while it’s still fresh and hang it upside down in a ventilated, dark, and dry place. Drying time depends on the flower’s moisture content and size, but usually it takes no more than a couple of weeks. Once the flower is fully dry, you can make it more durable by covering it with a light layer of hairspray.