Lucky you! You have a beautiful floral arrangement to take care of, and now you’re wondering how to keep it fresh and pretty for as long as possible. There’s a myth floating around that flowers fade quickly and don’t last. While they don’t last forever, you can make them last much longer than just a few days. I’ve had several floral arrangements last over two weeks just by taking care of it. Trust me, nothing is more sad than watching the bouquet of flowers wilt and become pitiful in a matter of days. So let’s talk about how you can up your chances on keeping that gorgeous flower arrangement of yours fresh and vibrant for as long as possible.

1 | Make sure the flower arrangement is sitting in an area of your home that is away from drafts, direct heat, direct sunlight, and fruit and veggies.

2 | It’s all about the water! When you first bring home your bouquet, double check the water level and add more if needed. Water should fill the entire vase up to about 2 inches from the top. Make sure there are no leaves touching the water at all. Change the water every two days, and only use room temperature water or cold water.

3 |  Trim the ends of the flowers every few days. Just a little half inch snip off the bottom will open up the stem and allow it to continue drinking water.

4 |  Some flowers will last longer than others. As you see blooms beginning to fade or become rotten, pluck them out of the bouquet before they affect the entire arrangement. If you want, you can find a stem or two of greenery outside to fill the space of the blooms you removed. Again, just make sure no leaves touch the water inside the vase. After a week or two you may only have a few blooms left that you can place into little jars around your home.

That’s it! Following these instructions will help your arrangement last so much longer. I’m curious, if you follow these steps I would love to know how long you managed to keep your arrangement for. Email me at jenna at goldandbloom.com and let me know!

Photo by Courtney Woodham from a Gold & Bloom workshop