How to keep a hand-tied bouquet fresh for longer

A good bouquet should last well over a week, and with a little care it can last longer. Most of what keeps flowers fresh is simple, and none of it needs special kit.

If it arrives in water, leave it there to begin with

Many of our bouquets come in a bag or box of water, so they can go straight on the table without a vase. Leave them like that for the first day or two if you like. When the water starts to look cloudy, or the level drops, it is time to move them to a vase.

Cut the stems before they go into a vase

Stems take up water through the cut end, and once they have been out of water for a few minutes the end seals over. Before you put them in a vase, take about two centimetres off each stem with a sharp knife or scissors, cutting at a slant. A slanted cut gives the stem more surface to drink from and stops it sitting flat on the bottom of the vase.

Keep the tie in place while you cut, so the bouquet keeps its shape. A hand-tied bouquet is built in a spiral, and if you undo it, it will not sit the same way again.

Use a clean vase and fresh water

Bacteria in the water are what shorten a bouquet’s life most. Wash the vase with hot soapy water and rinse it well. Fill it with cool, fresh water and add the flower food that comes with your flowers.

Take off any leaves below the water

Leaves left sitting in water rot quickly and turn it murky. Strip off any that would be under the waterline.

Change the water every two or three days

Each time, give the stems another small trim. It takes a minute and makes more difference than anything else on this list.

Find the right spot

Flowers last longest somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Keep them away from radiators, the top of the television and sunny windowsills. Keep them away from the fruit bowl too: ripening fruit gives off a gas that makes flowers fade faster.

Take out flowers as they fade

Different flowers last for different lengths of time. Lilies and chrysanthemums often outlast roses. When one flower starts to go over, take it out and the rest of the bouquet will stay looking fresh. You can make a smaller arrangement from what is left for a jug on the kitchen table.

A few flower-specific tips

• Lilies: pull off the orange pollen as the flowers open. It stains clothes and tablecloths, and it is harmful to cats, so keep lilies well away from them.
• Roses: if a head droops, re-cut the stem and stand it in deep water for an hour or two.
• Tulips: they keep growing in the vase and bend towards the light, so turn the vase now and then.

If something does not look right when your flowers arrive, let us know straight away.