Garden
Making Cut Flowers Last Longer
St. Valentine's Day is the time many of us are given cut flowers as gifts. How can you make these beautiful gifts last longer? Here are tips for preserving your cut flowers:
- Use a thoroughly cleaned vase or container.
- re-cut stems back about an inch at a 45 degree angle. Cutting at an angle exposes more stem surface so that the flower can more readily absorb water.
- Remove any leaves from the stems which would be immersed in the container water. If not removed, these leaves will deteriorate and shorten the life of the cut flowers.
- Remove any dead flowers. Dead flowers will contaminate the water, causing other stems to die prematurely.
- Change the water in the container every other day and re-cut the stems again.
- Use a commercial cut flower preservative in the container water. These preservatives provide nutrients to the flower, thereby preserving the flowers longer.
- Keep flowers out of direct sunlight and in a cool area. Direct sunlight or excessive heat will dehydrate the blooms and shorten the bloom life.
Featured Stories
August & September 2026 Newsletter
August & September 2026 Newsletter
Managing Pests in Home Fruit Plantings
Many homeowners enjoy and actively grow either small fruit or tree fruit in their gardens or...
September Clover Chronicle
The 4-H programs has a few exciting things happening in September! See Clover Chronicle for...
Should You Stake a Newly Planted Tree?
As we near Autumn, many homeowners will consider planting a new tree in their landscape. After...
September-October Newsletter 2026
Purdue Extension Knox County 2026 Newsletter, featuring news in all of our program areas. Learn...
Purdue Extension EDGE in Ag honors three Indiana agriculture leaders
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Extension’s EDGE in Ag program recognized three...