Brightening up your home with a blossoming bouquet of beautiful flowers is a joy, but keeping them fresh can be a challenge for many Brits. Whether it’s a bright birthday bouquet or romantic red roses, most cut flowers have a lifespan of seven to 12 days with proper care.
But fear not, flower fans. Elise Harlock from Prestige Flowers has shared a nifty trick to keep your blooms vibrant for longer. “Using apple slices in the water of your vase can help cut flowers last longer,” the flower expert revealed. Apples, it turns out, are more than just a healthy snack; their natural sugars and acids provide nutrients that sustain the freshness of your favourite posy for up to several weeks.
Elise advises: “Begin by slicing a fresh apple into thin wedges. Then, place the slices at the bottom of a clean vase filled with room temperature water.”
This simple addition acts as a natural food source for the flowers, replacing the nutrients they miss after being snipped from their roots.
She added: “Finally, arrange your cut flowers as usual, ensuring their stems are submerged in the water alongside the apple slices.”
This clever tip is particularly effective for flowers with woody stems, such as roses, hydrangeas, and lilacs, helping them stay perky and picturesque for an extended period.
“These types of flowers benefit from the nutrients provided by the apple slices, helping them to stay hydrated and vibrant for an extended period,” she explained.
The trick is all down to the apples’ knack for emitting ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone that encourages ripening.
This clever little hack works because the ethylene gas from the apple slices can actually slow down the wilting process in cut flowers, keeping your blooms perky and fresh for days longer than you’d expect. Elisa stressed the need to switch out the water and apple slices every couple of days to keep things fresh.
“Regularly refreshing the water and replacing the apple slices ensures that the flowers continue to receive the nutrients they need to thrive,” she recommended. Bargain hunters can snag six apples for just 69p at Aldi, which is a steal at less than 12p an apple, or you can grab them for 16p a pop at Tesco.
To extend the life of your flowers even further, keep them in a cool room away from direct sunlight, and steer clear of open windows to prevent them from drying out too quickly.
Flower pros at Urban Stems and ProFlowers also advise stripping any leaves that might sit below the water line each day to ward off bacteria.
This tip is especially handy for mixed bouquets with different types of flowers that may not all bloom at the same time.
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