5 Tips: Extend the Life of Your Flowers

owner Michael Lucci and floral designer Alejandra Lucci love getting photographs from customers showing them just how long their arrangement lasted. They said one Valentine's Day customer a few years back followed their instructions for taking care of her bouquet of long-stemmed roses and sent in a photograph a month later showing how they lasted for over three weeks. They've offered some tips to help you keep your Valentine's bouquet a little longer this year.

1. Find the right florist. Alejandra said she never uses flowers that won't last more than five days after delivery. "I prefer to lose a flower than a customer," she said.

2. Invest in a good floral knife. "That's just something with a good handle, a short blade, not wide, and sharpened," Michael said. Keep it just for flowers. Customers interested in taking care of their flowers are usually given a floral knife with instructions. 

3. Always keep your vase very clean. Alejandra suggests removing the flowers and usuing a little bleach and warm water solution to thoroughly wash the vase and change the water every four days. 

4. Cut the flower stems at an angle, every time you change the water. It gives room for the flower to drink water. Michael says the surface area increases by 60 to 70 percent, allowing the bloom to get more water.

5. "People have this misnomer that cold is better - cold is fresh, cold is crispy. It's the opposite way when it comes to cut flowers. The hotter the water the better," Michael said, adding the reason is there is less dissolved gases in warm water than in cold water. He suggests using water to fill the vase that is the same temperature at which you'd wash your hands.