Care Instructions for a Longer Vase Life

First things first: Make sure your vase is clean and sanitized. A good rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t drink out of it, your flowers probably don’t want to either. Bacteria and dirt hanging out in the vase will shorten your flowers' lifespan.

Now it’s time to fill your vase with water. Feel free to add flower food to the water if you’d like, but just a teaspoon or so is plenty for an average bouquet. No need to dump the whole packet in—save some for the next water change in a couple days. Change the water every other day or when the water gets cloudy, because let’s face it, this step is easy to forget with our busy lives, but it’s a big one! While you’re at it, give the stems another little trim. Don’t forget to add more flower food and make sure to check the water daily.

For the best results, cut the very end of each stem while holding it underwater. Use a sharp knife or shears for those tough stems and branches—don’t go dull! This helps the stems drink up water instead of air, which keeps them hydrated and happy.

Next, remove any leaves that will be below the waterline. Leaves in the water will promote bacteria and cause your flowers to wilt more quickly.

Then place your flowers in the vase with your flower food. Keep your flowers in a cool spot (65–72°F). As gorgeous as they are, they don’t want to roast in direct sunlight or freeze by your air vents. Keep them away from ceiling fans, heating

appliances, and anything else that might speed up their dehydration process. Your flowers want to look fabulous for as long as possible—so treat them like the divas they are!

Remove individual flowers from the arrangement as they start to fade, and when your bouquet has passed its prime, it’s time to call Gem City Blooms to brighten your space with a new, fresh bouquet!!!