You’ve just received a bouquet of cut flowers, and you want them to last as long as possible. Taking proper care of them will ensure that they’ll stay beautiful for several days (or even weeks in some cases), just like the first day you received them.

Your flowers need a home right away so transferring your bouquet to a vase should be done as soon as possible. Prepare a clean vase, preferably plastic, ceramic or glass, that’s large enough to handle all of the blooms. Crowding them will encourage the growth of bacteria and shorten their lifespan. Fill the vase with clean lukewarm water (or cold water if they were originally bulbs) and add the flower food that is often included in the packaging. If you didn’t receive any, you can add a bit of sugar to the water instead. It’s important not to combine old flowers with new ones, since harmful bacteria may be transferred by doing so.

After you’ve gently unwrapped the cellophane or paper around the bouquet by cutting it open with scissors, remove any damaged flowers and trim the lower leaves off of the stems so none will be submerged in water when placed in the vase. Then, using a sharp knife or pair of scissors, cut about 2 cm diagonally off the bottom of the stems underwater. This should be repeated if the bottom of the stems appear rotted or slimy.

For all flowers, clean the vase and change the water every couple of days.

Place your completed bouquet away from draught, direct sunlight and heaters. It is also recommended that the flowers not be placed near fruit, since ripe fruit emits gases that are believed to be harmful.

And remember: if you’re buying cut flowers, you should always select ones that not only look fresh, but that have also been picked at the right time. For example, lilies are usually harvested while the blooms are still closed, so don’t be surprised if you receive some in your bouquet. They’ll eventually open up and last longer because of this. On the other hand, most dahlias and chrysanthemum are cut when fully open since they don’t generally open further.

If you didn’t get a chance to put your flowers into a vase immediately, and they’ve started to wilt and become limp, then simply trim a couple cm off the stems underwater, wrap them in paper, and chill for about couple of hours. This will freshen them up and restore their beauty.