16/08/2026
Florist Tips 🌷 Want Your Fresh Flowers to Last Longer? These Are the 4 Things I Care About Most
One of my students recently asked me:
“Do I need to use flower food? Is there a particular brand you recommend?”
As a florist, I actually use just fresh, clean water most of the time. 🤍
Instead of focusing too much on flower food, these are the four things I pay more attention to:
💧 1 | Change the water regularly
Change the water every 1–2 days and give the vase a good wash at the same time. Don’t just top up old water with fresh water.
🫧 2 | Wash the stems
This is something people often forget!
If the stems start to feel slimy or sticky, gently rinse them under clean water before putting them back into the vase.
✂️ 3 | Recut the stems
When changing the water, trim about 1–2 cm off the bottom of the stems to give them a fresh cut.
And make sure there are no leaves sitting below the waterline. 🍃
🌷 4 | The freshness of the flowers matters — a lot
This is probably the biggest one for me.
Sometimes your flowers don’t last long, and it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve done anything wrong.
When we buy flowers, we usually don’t know exactly when they were harvested, how long they’ve been transported, or how long they’ve already been sitting in cold storage or at the shop.
That’s why two bunches cared for in exactly the same way can have completely different vase lives.
So, do you need flower food?
You can absolutely use it, but personally, I don’t think it’s essential.
For me, the basics matter more:
Clean vase + fresh water + clean stems + regular trimming 🌿
Save this for the next time you bring fresh flowers home 🤍
