Vase arrangements · fresh flowers in water
A vase arrangement is designed to keep drinking from the moment it leaves our shop. The flowers are still alive, and the two things that decide how long they last are clean water and stems that can take it in.
Most of the arrangements we deliver around Clayton and Johnston County are designed in a vase with water. Everything on this page works for a dozen roses or a mixed garden vase alike. If you know the main flower in yours, the flower guides below have a few extra tips for each one.
Every one is a little different. Our designer’s choice arrangements are built by hand from the freshest flowers in the cooler that day, so yours may have different flowers or colors from the photo. The care is the same for all of them.
Keep the water clean, not just full
Every two days, pour the old water out and refill the vase with fresh, cool water. Topping it up isn’t enough. Cloudy water is full of bacteria that clog the stems, and a clogged stem can’t drink, no matter how full the vase is.
If you can, rinse the vase while you’re at it. If you’d rather not take the arrangement apart, hold the flowers in place with one hand and tip the water out over the sink, then refill.
When your flowers arrive
- Check the water level right away. Delivery can slosh some out, and the flowers have been out of the cooler for a while.
- Add the flower food if a packet came with it, mixed into the water as the packet says.
- Pick a cool spot out of direct sun (see below) before you set it down for good.
- Leave the design alone for the first day. The flowers settle and open a little once they are home.
- If there is a card or a tag with care notes, keep it with the vase so whoever waters it knows what it needs.
Where to put them
Cool and bright, never hot. The warmer the room, the faster flowers open and fade.
- A table or counter away from windows that get direct sun is ideal. Sunlight through glass heats the water quickly.
- Keep it off the top of the TV, the refrigerator, and away from heat vents, lamps and the stove.
- Keep it away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas, which makes many flowers drop petals and age faster.
- Out of drafts from ceiling fans and outside doors, which dry the petals.
- At night, a cooler room helps. Some customers move the vase to the coolest room in the house before bed and get several extra days.
Everyday care
Vase Arrangements
Fresh flowers in water
- Vase life
- Usually five to ten days, depending on the flowers. Roses, lilies, carnations and alstroemeria are often still lovely past a week.
- Water
- Check daily and keep the vase full. Replace the water completely every two days. Cool tap water is fine.
- Stems
- Every few days, snip about half an inch off each stem at an angle with sharp scissors or a knife, and put it straight back in water.
- Flower food
- Use the packet if one came with it. It feeds the flowers and slows bacteria. Don’t bother with pennies, aspirin or soda.
- Temperature
- Room temperature or cooler, ideally 65–72°F. Our summer heat is the biggest reason flowers fade fast.
- Watch for
- Leaves sitting below the waterline. Pull them off: they rot and foul the water.
Many common flowers can upset a pet’s stomach if chewed. Lilies are the serious one: every part, even the pollen and the vase water, can cause kidney failure in cats. If a mixed arrangement has lilies and you have a cat, keep it in a room the cat can’t get into. If any part is eaten, call your veterinarian.
Taking out the faded flowers
Mixed arrangements don’t all fade at once. When one or two flowers are done, pull them out so the rest look fresh and the water stays cleaner.
- Pull spent flowers from the base of the stem, not the top, so you don’t knock the others loose.
- If the design starts to look thin, move the survivors to a smaller vase or a few bud vases around the house.
- Greenery often outlasts the flowers. A vase of just the greens still looks nice for days.
Quick fixes
Flowers drooping on day two or three
Usually an air bubble or a clogged stem. Re-cut the stem under water if you can, and give it fresh, cool water.
Water cloudy or smelly
Bacteria. Empty and rinse the vase, re-cut the stems and refill with fresh water.
Petals dropping fast
Heat, sun, or the fruit bowl. Move it somewhere cooler.
Vase empty by the next morning
Fresh flowers drink a lot in the first days, especially roses and hydrangea. Check it every morning.
Rose heads bending over
The neck can’t pull water up. See the rose guide for how to revive it.
Leaves turning yellow or slimy
They have been touching the water. Pull them off and change the water.
Common questions
How do you make fresh flowers last longer?
Change the water every two days, re-cut the stems every few days, use flower food, and keep the vase cool and out of the sun and away from fruit.
How often should I change the water in my flowers?
Every two days, and top it up in between if it gets low.
Should I put ice or sugar in the vase?
No. Ice can shock some flowers, and sugar on its own feeds bacteria. The flower food packet is a balanced mix of both food and cleaner.
Why are my flowers dying so fast?
The most common reasons are dirty water, a warm room, direct sun and ripening fruit nearby.
Can I put my flowers in the refrigerator at night?
It can help, but keep them away from fruit and vegetables in there, which give off the gas that ages flowers.
More flower care guides
Roses
Rosa
Fresh cuts, clean water every two days, and a cool room keep roses open for a week or more.
Read the guide →Lilies
Lilium (Stargazer, Oriental and Asiatic lilies)
Every bud will open in turn. Pull the pollen, change the water, and keep them away from cats.
Read the guide →Wrapped & Hand-Tied Bouquets
Fresh flowers to put in your own vase
Get it into water within the hour: trim the stems, pick a clean vase, keep it cool.
Read the guide →About pets and plants: The pet notes in this guide are general plant knowledge from our florists, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet chews or swallows any part of a plant, contact a licensed veterinarian right away, or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. If a person swallows any part of a plant, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”1 Corinthians 3:7
Questions about your plant?
Call or text us. We are always glad to help, whether you bought it from us or not.
Call or text (984) 250-7771 Clayton Florist · 11440 Clayton Blvd, Clayton, NC 27520claytonncflorist.com