How to Make Cut Flowers Last Longer

Most cut flowers last longer when stems are recut, water stays clean, leaves stay out of the vase, and the arrangement sits in a cool place away from fruit and heat.

1. Unwrap and recut 1–2 cm from each stem at an angle with a clean knife or secateurs.
2. Strip leaves that would sit below the waterline.
3. Fill a clean vase with fresh water. Use the flower-food sachet if one is supplied.
4. Change water every one to two days and recut stems if the ends look slimy or sealed.
5. Keep the vase away from direct sun, heaters, and ripening fruit (ethylene gas speeds ageing).

Vase life is a range, not a guarantee. Variety, travel time and room temperature all matter.

Do not add aspirin, lemonade or coins as a routine — clean water and a clean vase matter more than household myths.

Related guides: Rose, Tulip, Lily, Alstroemeria