Free care reference
How to keep 30 popular cut flowers looking their best for as long as possible — expected vase life, trimming and water tips, a florist trick for each, and whether they're safe around cats and dogs.
Showing 30 of 30 flowers
Recut stems at a 45° angle under running water and strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline. Use a deep vase of cool water with flower food, and refresh it every couple of days.
Pro tip: A drooping rose is usually air-locked, not dead — recut the stem underwater and float the whole bloom in cool water for 30 minutes to revive it.
Cut stems on an angle and use cool water with flower food; warm rooms rush them, so keep them cool to stretch their vase life. Rinse off any ants outdoors before bringing buds inside.
Pro tip: Buy peonies in the soft "marshmallow" bud stage — squeeze gently and it should give slightly. They'll open fully indoors over a few days.
Recut stems straight across and use a tall vase with just an inch or two of cold water — tulips like it shallow and cold. Flower food helps, and cool temperatures keep stems from flopping.
Pro tip: Tulips keep growing after cutting — up to an inch — and bend toward the light, so turn the vase daily. Cold water and a tall vase keep the stems standing tall.
Trim stems on an angle and set them in clean, cool water with flower food. Their hollow stems foul water quickly, so refresh it often and keep them out of direct sun.
Pro tip: One of the longest-lasting spring flowers — buy when the buds are colored and squishy, and you'll get a week-plus of blooms that unfurl a little more each day.
Cut woody stems on a sharp angle and give them a deep drink of cool water — they are extremely thirsty. Remove lower leaves and top up the water daily.
Pro tip: Wilting hydrangeas can be brought back to life: submerge the entire flower head in cool water for 30–45 minutes. They drink through their petals, not just their stems.
Recut stems on an angle and use cool water with flower food; buy with buds just cracking and they'll open over several days. Keep away from ripening fruit.
Pro tip: Snip out the pollen-tipped anthers as blooms open to prevent stains and prolong life. Warning: lilies are fatally toxic to cats — even pollen or vase water can cause kidney failure, so never keep them in a home with cats.
Cut stems on an angle and strip lower leaves; sunflowers are heavy drinkers, so use a sturdy vase and keep the water topped up. Refresh the water every two days.
Pro tip: Their thick stems drink fast and cloud the water quickly — change it often and keep them in a cool spot, and they'll easily last a week or more.
Recut stems and use clean, cool water with flower food, changing it frequently since dahlias are sensitive to bacteria. Buy them fully open — they won't open further once cut.
Pro tip: Dip the freshly cut stem ends in hot, near-boiling water for about 7 seconds — it clears air locks and can noticeably extend their short vase life.
Recut the stem on an angle under water and use a clean vase with lukewarm water and flower food. Mist the petals occasionally and keep out of direct sun and drafts.
Pro tip: Cut orchid sprays are marathon-lasters — two to three weeks is normal. They're very sensitive to ethylene gas, so keep them well away from the fruit bowl.
Cut stems between the raised "knuckle" joints, where they're brittle, and use clean water with flower food. They're one of the longest-lasting cut flowers when the water is kept fresh.
Pro tip: Carnations are very sensitive to ethylene — one ripening apple nearby can make them "go to sleep" and refuse to open, so keep them far from fruit.
Split or cut the woody stems on an angle, strip lower foliage, and use flower food in clean water. Mums are famously durable and forgiving.
Pro tip: One of the longest-lasting flowers you can buy — three weeks isn't unusual. If the leaves wilt before the blooms, just remove them; the flowers keep going.
Cut stems on an angle and use only shallow, clean water (2–3 inches) with flower food — deep water rots their fuzzy stems. Change the water daily.
Pro tip: Gerbera heads flop on weak necks. Support them with a tall, narrow vase or a grid of tape across the rim, and they'll stay perky far longer.
Trim stems and use cool, clean water with flower food; anemones drink a lot, so keep the vase topped up. They dislike heat, so avoid warm windowsills.
Pro tip: Anemones keep growing in the vase, and their blooms open in warmth and close in cool or dark — so they'll gently "wake up" and put on a fresh show each morning.
Cut stems and place in cool water with flower food, keeping them somewhere cool to slow their fast fade. Buy when only a couple of flowers per stem are open.
Pro tip: Prized for their scent but short-lived — keep them cool and well away from fruit (they're very ethylene sensitive), and enjoy them quickly.
Recut stems on an angle and use clean water with flower food. Each stem carries buds at several stages, so they keep opening over one to two weeks.
Pro tip: Snip off spent blooms and the buds further down the stem keep opening — a single stem can give you rose-like flowers for two full weeks.
Cut stems on an angle and use clean water with flower food, removing lower florets as they fade. Florets open from the bottom of the spike upward.
Pro tip: Snapdragon tips bend up toward the light and against gravity — always store and display them upright or the stems will curve permanently.
Cut the woody stems on an angle and strip all lower leaves — stock fouls water fast and turns smelly. Change the water daily and use flower food.
Pro tip: That clove-like fragrance comes at a price: stock dirties its water quickly, so a daily water change is the single best thing you can do for it.
Recut the hollow stems on an angle and keep the tall vase topped with fresh water and flower food. Remove faded lower florets to tidy the spike.
Pro tip: Delphiniums are very ethylene sensitive and will shed their florets near ripening fruit — keep them clear of the fruit bowl to hold every bloom.
Trim stems and use cool water with flower food, giving them a deep drink. The buds open in sequence up the stem.
Pro tip: Buy freesia when the lowest bud is just showing color — the rest open one by one up the stem, giving you a week or more of that famous sweet scent.
Cut stems on an angle and use clean, cool water with flower food. Buy in the tight "pencil bud" stage with just a hint of color showing.
Pro tip: Each iris bloom lasts only a day or two, but a fresh bud waits behind it — pinch off spent flowers and the next one opens to keep the show going.
Recut stems and use clean water with flower food, stripping the leaves — they yellow long before the flowers fade. Remarkable value for how long they last.
Pro tip: Pull spent blooms off with a gentle tug rather than cutting, and the many buds behind them keep opening for up to two weeks. The sap can irritate skin, so wash your hands after handling.
Cut stems on an angle, strip lower leaves, and use clean water with flower food, changing it often since they're prone to bacteria. Choose fully open blooms — they won't open further once cut.
Pro tip: Do the "wiggle test" — give the stem a shake, and if the head flops it was cut too early. Firm, stiff stems mean a bloom that will actually last.
Trim the delicate stems and use clean, cool water with flower food, changing it often. Pick when the buds are just cracking open.
Pro tip: Cosmos is a cut-and-come-again flower — the more you snip, the more it blooms, so a garden patch will keep your vases full all summer.
Cut the woody stems on a sharp angle, strip lower foliage, and use flower food in deep water with plenty of light. They're thirsty and very long-lasting.
Pro tip: Protea dries beautifully — when the fresh display is done, just let the stems dry in the vase and keep them on as an everlasting arrangement.
Recut stems on an angle and use lukewarm water with flower food, keeping them in a warm room since they hate the cold. Mist the waxy spathe to keep it glossy.
Pro tip: These tropical "flowers" (really modified leaves) last two to three weeks. A gentle petal mist and a warm spot away from AC vents keeps them shining.
Recut the smooth stems on an angle and use only shallow water — deep water rots and curls the stem ends. Handle gently, as the stems bruise easily.
Pro tip: If calla stems curl at the base, just recut above the curl and return them to shallow, fresh water. Despite the name they aren't true lilies — but they're still toxic to pets.
Cut the thick hollow stems on an angle and use flower food in cool water; the huge blooms make them top-heavy, so choose a weighted vase. Recut every few days.
Pro tip: Hollow amaryllis stems tend to split and curl — slip a thin bamboo cane up inside the stem for support, and they'll stand tall through every bloom.
Recut stems on an angle and use a tall, weighted vase with flower food — they're top-heavy and tip easily. Florets open from the bottom of the spike upward.
Pro tip: Pinch out the top two or three buds at the tip and the lower florets will open more evenly and fully up the whole spike.
Smash or cut the woody stem ends on an angle and use clean water — no flower food needed for foliage. It's aromatic, hardy, and lasts for weeks.
Pro tip: Eucalyptus dries perfectly: hang a bunch upside down in a dry spot, or just let it dry right in the vase, and keep it as scented decor for months.
Trim stems and use clean water with a little flower food, stripping anything that would sit below the waterline. This classic filler is tougher than it looks.
Pro tip: Baby's breath air-dries beautifully — leave it in the vase and let the water run out, and it dries in place for a keepsake that lasts for months.
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1. Give them clean water every two days. Bacteria clog stems and shorten vase life more than anything else — a fresh fill is the highest-impact thing you can do.
2. Recut the stems at an angle. Trim half an inch off on a slant each time you change the water, so the stems can drink through a fresh, open surface.
3. No direct sun, heat, or fruit bowl. Warmth and sunlight speed wilting, and ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas that makes many flowers drop and fade early.
4. Feed them. Use the flower food packet (or a pinch of sugar plus a drop of bleach) — it feeds the blooms and keeps the water clear of bacteria.
5. Strip the leaves below the waterline. Any foliage sitting in the water rots fast, fouls the vase, and cuts vase life short — pull it all off before arranging.
Every bouquet from Bloom Boom Boutique Florist arrives with flower food and a care card matched to what's inside, so your flowers last as long as possible. Order online at bloom-boom.shop or call 424-421-0200.