If you've purchased fresh flowers, you want them to retain their beautiful blooms. You can't make your fresh flowers last forever. However, you can take steps to make them last for more than a few days. Extending the life of your freshly cut flowers begins as soon as you bring them home from the flower shop. Here are some tips that will help you enjoy your flowers longer. 

Prepare the Flowers

If you want to extend the life of your flowers, the first thing you need to do is take them out of the plastic sleeve wrap they're in. This sleeve wrap can trap heat and moisture that can damage your flowers. Once you have the wrap off of your flowers, you'll want to prepare the stems. You might think that the stems are ready to go straight from the flower shop, but that's not the case. You actually need to cut about one to two inches off the ends of each stem. You want to cut the stems at a slight angle. The fresh cut allows more water to be absorbed through the stems. 

Go Beyond Plain Water

If you're planning to fill your flower vase with plain tap water, you'll want to change your plans. Plain tap water doesn't do anything to extend the life of your flowers. For that, you need to add something extra to the water. There are several methods you can use to prepare the water. First, you can add the preservative that the flower shop might have provided you with. Second, you can add a small amount of soda to the water. The added sugar will keep your flowers fresh longer. If you'd prefer, you can place a crushed aspirin tablet in the water to extend the life of your fresh-cut flowers. 

Take Care With Placement

Once you have your flowers arranged in the vase, you'll want to choose the proper placement for them. This can be tricky, especially since some areas of your home may actually cause your flowers to die more quickly. First, you want to avoid placing your flower arrangement by windows. The added heat can kill your flowers. Next, keep your flower arrangement away from drafts, as the drafts can cause your flowers to wilt. Finally, avoid placing your flowers near fresh fruit. You might not know this, but fresh fruit emits gases that can kill fresh flowers. 

Remove the Dead Flowers

Finally, if you want to extend the life of your fresh cut flowers, you need to tend to the arrangement on a daily basis. The best thing you can do is remove any dead flowers you find. It's also important that you refresh the water at least once a week. Changing the water will help your flowers last longer.