How to Keep Your Bouquet of Roses Alive

The rose is the quintessential flower of love and romance and is an ongoing favorite for flower lovers. Their delicate symmetry and scent, their range of colors, and the meanings and traditions connected with the rose make them one of the world’s most beloved garden and cut flowers. Roses are always popular for people wanting to buy a classically beautiful bouquet and can also be given as a single stem. 

So, how can you ensure the longevity of your cut rose or rose bouquet and keep it looking as beautiful as possible in its vase? Read on for some tried and tested ideas.

How long do fresh roses last when cut?

Once cut and without any further support beyond enough water to drink, a rose will last, on average, one week. There are, however, a few steps that can be taken to prolong the life of your roses and to help them to remain vibrant and healthy-looking for a little longer:

How should you keep your roses to prolong their life?

Use a clean vase

A spotless vase is essential to ensure that no lingering bacteria can infect your cut roses. Wash out your vase carefully before use, using a bactericidal cleaning product, and rinse thoroughly before filling it with fresh water. Even if your vase has been sitting in a cupboard for a while it is still worth giving it a good wash to remove any dust and germs that might have accumulated.  

Trim the stems

It’s important to trim the stems of your roses before first placing them in water. All plants, including cut flowers, drink water through the process of osmosis, where water is moved up through tiny tubes in the plant, a little like sucking liquid through a straw. When you trim the stems of your roses, you’re supporting them in this process, by helping to open up these tubes. Cut the stems at an angle of 45 degrees to create a larger surface area for your roses to absorb water. Try to use a sharp blade so you don’t crush their delicate stems. Do this again after a few days when it’s time to change the water to give your roses the best chance of a longer life. 

Remove the leaves from the lower stems

This isn’t just an aesthetic preference. Any leaves left below the water line will soon begin to rot and, in turn, contaminate the water, so remove any leaves that will not be seen above the level of water. Do this regularly and change the water if any leaves do sneak into the water.

Keep them in a cool spot

Like most flowers, roses will wilt if exposed to temperatures that are too high. A cool location will help to live a little longer than if they were placed in direct light on a sunny windowsill, for example. If you are keen to create a rose’s ideal conditions, you could place them at their preferred humidity of around 80%, although, let’s face it, this level of detail isn’t practical for most people! They’ll be quite happy if they’re just not too hot. 

Change the water regularly

Every few days the water will need changing and flower food will need to dissolve into the water. You can do this sooner if the water appears cloudy or if any leaves find their way below the waterline. 
More tips for extending the life of your roses:

Use lukewarm water

Rather than using ice-cold water, opt for lukewarm water for your roses. This prevents them from being shocked by the sudden temperature change.

Refrigerate your roses

Some people, when gifting a bouquet of roses the following day or if going on a short vacation, will keep their vase of flowers in the refrigerator overnight to help keep them fresher for longer. This works well for roses and can be done to increase the life of your cut roses.

Aspirin, sugar, and bleach - no, really!

If you’re short of flower food, a teaspoon of sugar is a good substitute.  Before adding your roses, make sure you dissolve any food or sugar into the water thoroughly. Some people add a small amount of bleach to the water to ensure it stays bacteria-free (a quarter of a teaspoon per liter of water is the rule). This will not harm your flowers but will help them to last longer by keeping germs at bay. Another tried and tested trick for roses is to dissolve a crushed aspirin into the water before adding the roses.

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