Upon receiving your flowers, remove packaging immediately to prevent your flowers from sweating and over heating.

Prepare your vase with warm water and flower preservative and a drop or two of bleach. This cuts out any bacteria that may develop in the water. Remove all leaves from the stems that will be under the water level. Re-cut the stems at an angle under lukewarm water using a sharp knife. Immediately place in the vase of warm water as some stems close up soon after being cut.

Cutting at an angle prevents the flower from sitting flat on the bottom of the vase and cutting off water supply.

Cutting with scissors pinches the stem and allows a pocket of air to shoot up the stem. The flower cannot take in any more water after this point.

If no flower food is available, use a teaspoon of sugar and a drop or two of bleach.

Spring flowers such as tulips do not need flower food.

Keep vase away from drafts, direct sunlight and electrical appliances producing some heat. The cooler your flowers are kept, the longer you will have to enjoy them.

The flowers that come arranged in a container have already been conditioned. Warm water should be added immediately and daily to keep the foam saturated. Just because the foam feels damp, that does not mean the flowers are getting enough water.

Some containers do not hold a lot of water so they should be watered at night to ensure they do not dry out before morning.

For a Longer Life

During hot weather, spray a fine mist of water on your flowers.

Lilies like a teaspoon of vinegar added to their water. Roses like a teaspoon of sugar added to their water.

All flowers should have a drop of bleach added to the water to prevent bacteria growth.

Refill the vase with warm water and food after a couple of days, or at any time the water goes murky.