How to keep cut flowers fresh at home

Spring is in full bloom here in Australia and yes, you've probably seen all over social media that peonies are back in season. If you're following us on Instagram, you'll know I love flowers (I mean, who doesn't?!) and they appear frequently on our feed, be it from weddings, styled shoots or just sitting pretty in the studio.

We all love having fresh flowers in our home or workspace but nothing's worse than having your market blooms or gifted bouquet die within a couple of days. Helen from Lime Tree Bower shares some simple tips on how to keep cut flowers lasting longer in your space...

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1. Recut the stems every couple of days
Overtime, the flower stems can get clogged up as bacteria starts to grow so this reopens the airways so that water can get taken up the stem.

2. Always snip the stems at a sharp angle
This ensures you expose as much of the stem as possible, so that you maximise the airway and thereby water intake.

3. Keep flowers out of direct sunlight
Sunlight will make your flowers die faster, so make sure you keep them somewhere as cool as possible. Avoid air conditioning though, as that simply dries out the flowers.

4. Don't place flowers near fruit, particularly bananas
Fruits produce a gas called ethylene which causes flowers to wilt faster, so you'll want to avoid placing them near the fruit bowl.

5. Remove wilting flowers periodically
Ethylene is the same gas that is produced by flowers that are wilting, so once you see a flower start to wilt, remove it as soon as you can.

6. Change the water every day or two
By keeping the water your flowers are in clean, you'll help them last longer. So replace it as often as you can and definitely before it starts to turn yellow!

7. Make sure there are no leaves in the water
There should only be bare stems underneath the water, as leaves and debris will simply rot and lead to clogging up the stems of the flowers, making them harder to drink!