How to prolong the life of donated flowers. how to keep flowers how to keep flowers long lasting

We so want cut flowers to please the eye for as long as possible. And what a shame when they quickly lose all their beauty and attractiveness.

We tried to figure out what the reason is, and collected simple and proven ways to extend the life of bouquets.

Place the flowers in a large and clean container

Always use a clean container to reduce the risk of bacteria and other micro-organisms that can harm flowers. Select wide mouth container so as not to crush the stems.

Put flowers in hot water

Not boiling, of course. The temperature should be about 43-44ºC. And put the container with flowers in a cool place for a couple of hours. Hot water molecules move faster along the stem, while flowers lose less moisture to cooler air. Due to this, the life span of the flower is increased. This the process is called "hardening".

Or in warm water, if you do not want to use "hardening"

If you do not use the previous method, then put the bouquet simply in warm water or in water room temperature. Cut flowers absorb warm water much better than cold water.. But flowers with bulbs are best stored in cold water.

Remove the bottom leaves

To keep flowers fresh longer remove any leaves that fall into the water in the vase. Leaves that are under water begin to rot very quickly, providing food for bacteria that can damage the rest of the plant.

Change the water

Change the water every day to keep your flowers fresh. Remove all debris from the tank before pouring fresh water. This will reduce the risk of infection.

Cut stems at an angle

Don't forget to trim the ends of all stems. Do this with a sharp knife at a 45° angle. So the flowers will easier to absorb moisture. It is advisable to do this immediately before immersing the stems in water.

And when it comes to roses, then cut the stems and it’s even better under water: the rose is exceptionally sensitive to air bubbles and bacteria that make it difficult to absorb moisture, which often leads to rapid wilting.

Use flower preservatives

You can either buy them at the gardening department or make your own. Thanks to preservatives flowers will stay fresh for a long time, as they receive everything necessary for life. In addition, preservatives contain biocides that prevent bacteria from spreading.

Universal Preservative Recipe - mix of citrus soda with bleach. Add any carbonated drink that contains sugar and acid to your water.

Use 1 part soda to 3 parts water, then add a few drops of bleach (no more!) to kill harmful microorganisms. This mixture is much more effective than many store-bought preservatives.

Protect flowers from the sun, heat and fruit

Cut flowers should not be exposed to direct Sun rays, also do not place them near heat sources and in close proximity to fruit vases. The fact is that fruits emit ethylene - a gas that accelerates the fall of the petals.

Many events and significant dates rarely do without a bouquet of flowers. But their beauty is fleeting, and withering is inevitable. Experienced housewives know how to keep flowers at home longer, and for those who have encountered this for the first time, the following recommendations and tips from experienced florists are presented.

Place for flowers

It should be illuminated mainly by natural light. But do not abuse the sun's rays. Ultraviolet light has a detrimental effect, provokes rapid fading.
Excessively hot rooms are excluded - natural coolness will better preserve cut flowers. But the location "in the draft" can only reduce the freshness of the bouquet.
It is not worth installing a vase of flowers and a fruit stand next to each other. When storing fruits, ethanol is released, which provokes active bacterial activity - the plants simply rot.
Attribute to the peculiarities of the selection of a place of storage and the question of the compatibility of plants in the bouquet itself. For example, lilies, daffodils, roses are oppressive, nearby colleagues, thuja and geraniums prolong the freshness of other plants.

stem processing

Periodic care, including timely pruning of stems, helps keep flowers in a vase. This procedure is carried out in a container with water. The opposite will cause air to enter the stem, followed by clogging of the capillaries. The cut is made with a knife at an angle. About how the flowers will be preserved after the removal of the lower part of the stem, the following reveals:

the stem immersed in water, preventing rotting, is cleaned of leaves and shoots;
it is necessary to carry out the hardening procedure, and they are placed in water with a temperature of 44 0C, and then in a cool place for 2 hours, thereby increasing the passage of moisture into the plant;
under circumstances that do not allow hardening, the temperature of the water should be monitored - it should not be lower than room temperature.

During the entire long period of storage of plants, wilted or moldy leaves should be removed. We should not forget about the obligation to periodically change specially prepared water.

Water treatment

The experience of storing bouquets shows that it is better to use "soft" water. Flowers are ideally combined with water from a spring or rain. You can also use water from the water supply, but you need to give it time to free itself from chlorine impurities. Improves water quality, use of household disinfectants:

silver-containing metal;
a tiny portion of washing powder;
coal;
streptocide or aspirin in the proportion of 1 tablet per 6 liters of water;
salt (water, l. / salt) - 1/1 teaspoon;
boric acid - 1/100 mg;
soda mixed with lemon juice- 1 / st. spoon;
sugar diluted with vinegar - 1/1 tbsp. spoon

When purchasing a bouquet, you need to pay attention to the state of the cut of the stems. If he changed the color from c0 light green to gray or black, then the plants will not be able to survive for a long time.
The most suitable vase made from clear glass. Before placing the plants, it should be sterilized.
Performs daily water changes. Antibacterial supplements should be rotated. This will help to stop different types decay.
Flowers standing in a vase with water should be inspected every day. Rotten or dried leaves and stems should be removed as soon as they are found.
Carry out periodic pruning of the bottom of the stems. If the bouquet contains plants with a thick stem, it is not superfluous to split them.
Temporarily restore wilted flowers will help lowering the stems into hot water.
Prolongs the time of a presentable type of plants, periodically carried out top dressing. But if the time of their cutting is unknown, then it may be ineffective.

Having figured out how to save flowers cut and formed into a bouquet, novice housewives have the opportunity to extend their memories of a memorable date or event for as long as possible. Surely such an attitude to flowers will be deservedly appreciated by friends and acquaintances.

Every time a person receives a bouquet of flowers as a gift, he hopes to keep this beauty as long as possible. However, the period of life of cut flowers does not always live up to expectations. There can be many reasons for this - from various signs, such as the fact that the gift was not wholeheartedly, to the dishonesty of florists who, in pursuit of profit, sell not very fresh specimens.

However, there are several secrets on how to keep cut flowers in a vase longer, which you will learn about in this article.

Proper care to keep flowers longer

Freshly cut flowers, like ordinary potted flowers, require proper care. Various factors influence the bouquet of flowers in a vase - this is the quality of water and temperature. Therefore, if the question arises of how to store flowers for longer, each of these aspects should be considered in more detail.

Water

As a liquid for flowers, ordinary tap water is quite suitable. However, in its composition there is a considerable amount of salts and bleach, which have a very unfavorable effect on the bouquet.

Therefore, flowers are best preserved on water passed through a filter, or settled for some time.

Important: consider the fact that some varieties of flowers continue to grow even after cutting (for example, anemones, hydrangeas, etc.), and as a result, they actively consume liquid, which needs to be topped up periodically. Also, if the bouquet has been standing for a long time, a bad-smelling film should not form in the vase. In this case, the water needs to be urgently replaced and the stems rinsed.

Cutting off the stem and removing foliage

After you have a flower arrangement in your hands, the first thing to do is shorten the stem and remove the bottom sheets. These manipulations will allow the flower not to waste vitality on unnecessary parts and stay fresh longer. In addition, greens placed in a liquid begin to rot after a while.

However, if you are performing such actions for the first time, then most likely you wondered how much you can cut so that the flower not only does not lose appearance but did not die immediately. Here are a few points to keep in mind:

Make the lower cut obliquely, removing no more than one centimeter. Then cut the stem vertically so that it is divided into two parts. The length of such a section should be approximately one and a half centimeters. It is recommended to perform these manipulations with the blade of a clerical knife. However, if there is none, you can resort to sharp scissors. A blunt tool, on the contrary, will harm the flower.
Leaves can be removed up to a maximum of two-thirds of the entire length of the stem. In addition to the lower ones, attention should be paid to those that have lost their color brightness and withered. They can be cut with scissors or torn off by hand. In the latter case, you must try to break off the leaf so as not to damage the stem.

Temperature

Many people know the children's saying “The rose withers from the cold, and the carnation from the heat,” but not everyone wondered about its veracity. In fact, for each type of flower there is an optimal temperature that should be observed.

Temperature + 5 is favorable for peonies, lilies, tulips, irises, carnations, roses, daffodils.
From + 5 and above for: gladioli, cymbidium, anthurium.

Advice: if you are thinking about how to keep a bouquet of roses longer, then remove all the leaves from the stems that are under water. This will prevent rapid decay. But the thorns, if any, it is better not to break off, without them the flowers will not last long.

Neighborhood with fruit

You should not approach carelessly and the choice of the location of the vase. It is recommended to put the bouquet in a place isolated from fruits. This is due to the active production of ethylene by this product, which contributes to faster maturation of plants. As a result of such a neighborhood, the buds and leaves of the flowers may very soon collapse.

This mainly applies to bananas and apples, as well as tomatoes.

Cut flower food

In addition to the points described above, there are a number of components that are recommended to be added to the water in a vase. Any of them can be found in almost every home.

Most of these methods contribute to extending the life of flowers by disinfecting the liquid in which bacteria actively multiply.

streptocide

This medication is allowed for free dispensing in pharmacies, its purchase does not require a prescription, as well as high material costs. Basically, the drug is used for various skin diseases, as it kills bacteria during wound suppuration. It is on the antibacterial properties of streptocide that its use in the floristic direction is based.

In order to disinfect the liquid with this agent, one sachet of it should be diluted in three liters of water, into which the prepared flowers should be placed.

apple cider vinegar + sugar

In most cases, granulated sugar in its pure form acts as a top dressing. On average, about one and a half teaspoons of sugar should be added per liter of liquid. In this ratio, a kind of glucose solution is created, which has a positive effect on flowers.

However, for some varieties, water with sugar can be supplemented with vinegar, which must be poured in no more than a tablespoon. Such an environment “likes”, for example, dahlias.

Aspirin

Acetylsalicylic acid is a drug whose action is similar to streptocide. To achieve the effect, one tablet should be diluted in a liter of distilled or filtered water. Such a solution is more favorable for chrysanthemums and roses.

Lemon acid

Another composition, to which many types of cut flowers are located, is water with the addition of citric acid. To obtain the required concentration in a liter of liquid, it is recommended to dissolve half a teaspoon of lemon.

Bleach

Keep the water in the vessel as pure as possible long time You can add literally one drop of ordinary whiteness to it. But in this case, it is still worth observing the measure.

coins

If there is absolutely no remedy at hand, then just throw a copper coin into the vase before placing the bouquet there. The impact of this item is due to the material of which it is composed. Copper particles react with water and start the oxidation process, which contributes to the long-term storage of flowers. For greater effect, add a piece of refined sugar to the liquid.

Cold exposure

Very often, the flowers begin to fade from the high temperature of the room in which they are located. You can correct the situation by placing them in the cold for several hours. But if the refrigerator does not allow you to put a bouquet in it along with a vase in size, then you can put only the plants themselves. Wrap the ends of the stems with a wet cloth, and put on a plastic bag or cling film on top.

Soda

You can also extend the viability of purchased flowers with the help of baking soda, which is actively used in other areas by gardeners. To do this, you need to make a weak soda solution in which the plant is placed. It is required to observe the following ratio: one teaspoon of powder is poured into one and a half liters of water.

"Sprite"

Despite its well-known destructive effect, soda is quite helpful in the fight for the longevity of cut flowers. This is explained by the considerable sugar content in the drink, which saturates the flowers.

To achieve the result, a medium-sized vase of flowers will require only a quarter of a standard glass of carbonated drink. It is best to use the colorless Sprite, because it will not spoil the aesthetic appearance. But if you have a vessel made of dense non-glass material, Coca-Cola will do just fine.

Important: Whatever fertilizer you use for flowers, try to avoid getting it on the buds themselves. The same applies to spraying greenery to saturate it with moisture. Spray the liquid without affecting the flower itself.

Despite the fact that cut flowers in bouquets play a more decorative role, remember that these are also living organisms that need care and attention. And since they delight you with their beauty, they definitely deserve due attention in return.

Charming children of nature flowers are present in the life of every person. The amazing shape and colors of these plants allow them to be used as gifts and decorations. But flowers torn off from their habitat quickly die, experiencing lack of nutrition and stress. Therefore, the preservation of colors is an important task. And how long the flower bouquet will stand depends on proper care behind him.

The variety of flowers and ways of caring for and preserving them is huge, because each flower has its own individuality. Preservation methods for one flower may not be suitable for another.

The most famous flowers with a strong personality are roses. They are given most often, so the preservation of roses worries everyone in the first place.

How to save roses

Delightful roses are the most sought-after flowers among gifts for women. Roses are presented in a bouquet of one or more flowers, in baskets, boxes and even hats. The forums posted a lot of master classes on creating crafts with these fresh flowers.

The conservation of roses is divided into several stages:

1. Cut

The cut begins with a selection of roses. Preference is given to slightly loose buds with leaves bent down. Cut produce early morning. Then the roses are sent to storage until the next stage.

2. Shipping

Before transportation, flower stems are wrapped in paper or a damp cloth. Then the roses are packed. On the road, flowers are transported in such a way that the flowers do not fall under the sun's rays or cold air.

3. Preservation in a vase

Having received a bouquet of royal flowers, every woman thinks about how to keep roses in a vase for the longest time.

Cut the stems obliquely under water by 3 cm;
Cut off the lower leaves to the level of setting in the water;
Use disinfected water;
Add special flower products or sugar to the water;
Put the bouquet in a cool, draft-free place, exclude direct sunlight;
Change the water every day, while rinsing the stems;
Spray on leaves and outer rose petals;
When wilting, place the flowers in cold water for 10 hours.

4. Drying

Having received roses as a gift, you can try to keep them as a keepsake. The main method of conservation is drying.

Roses are dried in the following ways:

Natural - hanging roses on the stem with buds down in a ventilated place;
Sand - each petal is sprinkled with sand in a cardboard box;
Glycerin - roses are preserved by slow immersion in a solution of glycerin in a ratio of ½ to water.

Dried roses will not lose their beauty even if you go on vacation.

In addition to roses, there are many other flowers in the bouquet that need to be preserved.

Many florist websites have a section of tips on how to keep your own cut or purchased flowers longer. There are a lot of tips, so let's pay attention to the main points in the catalog.

The catalog shows ways to extend the life of cut flowering plants.

Carnation

Carnation is unpretentious flower. At home, it can stand in water at room temperature for two weeks. Aspirin or a florist supplement, as well as trimming the stem, will help keep the carnations for a longer period.

Gerbera

Gerberas are very capricious and need reverent care. The main condition for conservation is always clean, non-chlorinated water. The flower does not tolerate standing water, so the water is changed daily. You can only cut them with a sharp knife.

Gerbera care tips from florists:

Disinfect the water with an aspirin tablet;
Place the gerberas in the vase without touching the bottom of the stems. The water level from the roots should not exceed 5 cm;
Prune stems in water every 2-3 days;
Top up water in winter during the heating season.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus or Chinese rose is garden plant. It is grown in the garden in open field, and for bouquets, you can not cut the flowers, but break off the stems with your hands. And when changing water, florists do not cut and split the stems, but crush them with a hammer.

Gladiolus

Graceful tall gladioli can stand in a vase for two weeks. This preservation is helped by the removal of the lower faded inflorescences, as well as a daily change of water.

To prolong the life of flowers, various substances are added to the water: aspirin, camphor alcohol, potassium permanganate, sugar.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea is a persistent flower. Before cutting a hydrangea, you need to choose it correctly. That flower will stand for a long time, which will have a thick and rich color.

Caring for cut hydrangeas is as follows:

Put in cool settled water;
Add vodka or a store-bought product to the water;
Remove leaves from the stem;
Trim the stem daily;
You can reanimate by immersing the stem in hot water by 3-4 cm.

Iris

Flower growers love irises for their tenderness and pleasant aroma. But the flower has one unpleasant feature - the stems rot very quickly in water. Therefore, you often have to change the water in the vase, add various means, cut daily, but this does not help much.

kanna

Kanna is a flower growing in the garden suburban area or in a pot at room conditions. It is not often found in bouquets and vases.

The plant is unpretentious, does not need special care, but has a dormant period.

For the winter, country cannes must be dug out of the ground and covered in the basement. Home flowers are cut at the root and cleaned in a dark place for two months.

For a vase, cannes are cut in the morning or late in the evening, then placed in settled warm water. Flowers last longer if placed in a cool place. You also need to change the water more often. Pruning of the stem is done every two days.

Lily

Noble lilies are unpretentious in care. Like many flowers, they need a change of water, pruning of the stems.

But the most important thing to preserve the lily is the removal of the stamens and the avoidance of direct sunlight in the summer.

Mimosa

Yellow fluffy mimosa with small fluffy balls is a very fragile plant. A spray bouquet of mimosa is the best gift in spring, but it is difficult to keep it.

For sale, mimosa branches are often dipped in hot water to give the buds a pomp. As a result, after such treatment, it will be difficult to keep the flower branches for a long time, and the plant will lose its aroma.

Therefore, experts advise choosing good-smelling plants and doing the following:

Use mineral water and change it daily;
Make cuts on the tips of the branches;
Add aspirin or vodka to water;
Apply coniferous solution to avoid root rot.

Narcissus

A beautiful narcissus secretes a lot of juice, which is quite poisonous and destroys any flower. Therefore, in order for cut daffodils to be preserved for a long time, it is necessary to soak the bouquet for two hours after the morning cut.

A bouquet of daffodils then stands in a vase for one to two weeks without any additives. It only takes a day to change the water.

Orchid

An exotic orchid is not only a potted flower, but also a plant for various bouquets. Cut orchids keep their freshness for a long time.

For a longer lifespan, plants follow some rules:

Cut stems only under water;
A cruciform incision is made at the bottom of the stem;
Use boiled water;
Water is changed only when greenery appears, topped up during evaporation;
Avoid direct sunlight.

Peony

Luxurious peonies look good in any bouquet or vase. A few colors are enough to decorate the interior.

Flowers for a bouquet are cut either in the morning or in the evening in a half-blown form. How then to save cut peonies?

To do this, you need to pack dried flowers in paper or film, then place them in the refrigerator, where they can be stored for 2-3 weeks.

After the peonies are taken out of the refrigerator, the question arises: How to store cut peonies in a vase?

It is necessary to take an opaque vase, cut off the tips of the stems and leaves, pour settled water. To maintain the peony scent and vibrant colors, change the water daily and add a little charcoal to it.

Lilac

Lilac is a rather whimsical plant, so you can cut flowering branches only when the petals have blossomed by 2/3. Cut time is early morning. When cutting, you need to use only a knife or secateurs, since you can not break off the lilac with your hands.

Cut lilac branches are placed in a vase of water.

Remove the leaves, without them the plant will stand for a long time;
Take purified water and add a solution consisting of citric acid, sugar, salicylic acid to it.
Maintain water temperature at room temperature and change daily;
Spray periodically;
Sometimes cut the trunk 1 cm obliquely.

Tulip

Tulips are fragile and delicate creatures. To save them, you need to treat them carefully. Before being placed in water, tulips are wrapped in paper and stored in a cool, dark place to help keep the stem straight.

After the tulips are cut and put in cold water with the addition of activated carbon or potassium permanganate. The bouquet is placed in a bright room. The water is changed every day.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums are vital and beautiful, do not require special care. But florists know a few details that are important for these flowers.

Cut off blooming chrysanthemums for a bouquet;
Remove leaves from the stem;
Cut and split the tip of the stem;
Keep the bouquet at a temperature not higher than +21°C;
Change water after two days.

In addition to flowers in a vase or a simple bouquet, flowers for a wedding are of particular importance, among which the most important are the wedding bouquet and boutonniere. These flowers are used in a photo shoot, decorate the bride and groom, so their preservation is paramount.

How to save a wedding bouquet and boutonniere

The wedding bouquet is the main accessory in the hands of the bride. Keeping the bouquet in its original form - fresh and chic - from the moment of its creation until the end of the holiday is an important task.

Professionals know how to properly store this flower bouquet in the store. But how to keep it after purchase? Masters of floristics give the following recommendations:

1. Avoid temperature extremes.

Any drafts and sharp temperature fluctuations lead to the death of flowers. If in summer the bouquet can be placed in a cool, windless place, then in winter the flowers need to slowly get used to the cold when transferred from warm room outside. To prevent the bouquet from wilting, it is gradually transferred from a warmer room to a cooler one, and then only taken out of the house.

2. With care, store the bouquet in the refrigerator if it was brought in the evening before the celebration.

Improper storage will lead to blackening of the bud petals. The optimum storage temperature is 5-7°C, except for hydrangeas and exotic flowers.

These flowers are very capricious. It is advisable to buy a bouquet with these flowers only in the morning cut with delivery in a few hours.

3. Add only special products to the bouquet water.

A balanced composition has the addition of Krizal, which allows you to keep the freshness of the bouquet for a long time.

Usage folk remedies such as vodka, sugar, an aspirin tablet should be avoided. Their incorrect use will lead to the death of the bouquet and the spoiled mood of the bride.

4. Update stem cuts.

A fresh cut improves the access of water through the channels inside the plant. It is permissible to make cuts only by immersing the flowers in water.

5. Do not water the bouquet from above.

Do not water flower buds. Water, getting inside, makes them unpresentable after a while.

The groom's bridal boutonniere completes the bridal bouquet. This is the second most important flower accessory. To create boutonnieres, long-lasting and fresh flowers are selected and processed.

The most common flowers for a small groom's bouquet are roses. The question "How to keep roses in a boutonniere longer?" asked by many brides.

Initially, florists refresh the rose by removing the extreme petals, then wrap the base with a cotton pad moistened with a special solution. However, in the future, to preserve the boutonniere, florists advise:

Hold the rose for a while in a cold place;
Spray the rose with water without hitting the center of the bud.

Following the advice of florists on preserving flowers in bouquets, both wedding and ordinary, you will not only extend their lifespan, but also yours. good mood admiring this beauty.

All women love to receive flowers. The joy of such a gift is sometimes muffled by one nuance: the life of cut flowers is fragile and fleeting. A bouquet that pleases with beauty and aroma, the very next day, if it does not wither, then it looks sad. But if you follow simple rules, then the presented bouquet will delight its hostess for a very long time.

Read this article:

Bouquet care strategy

In order for the bouquet to remain fresh for a long time, it is important to know what the long life of a cut flower depends on:

Delivery method - flowers that have been in frost or heat for a long time will fade faster if they are not carefully packaged;
The right choice of a vase - it must match the length of the stems, be spacious enough;
Water quality - disinfection and top dressing;
The composition of the bouquet - the composition should not consist of antagonists.

Right daily care can double the life of the bouquet.

Bouquet presented: where to start

Plants need moisture, but you should not immediately put a presented bouquet in water. If the flowers were carried down the street, then a sharp temperature drop would harm them. First, the bouquet should lie down at home for about half an hour - for acclimatization. And if it was cool outside, then it is better to place it in a place where the temperature is lower: an entrance hall, a bathroom. The wrapper during the "addiction" should not be removed.

The time of the forced "quarantine" is used to prepare a vase. It must be thoroughly washed with soap, even if it seems perfectly clean. This is necessary in order to reduce the number of microbes that may be present on the walls of the vessel and subsequently provoke decay.

After preparing the vase, you can remove the wrapper from the bouquet. A purchased composition of several types of flowers can be safely put in one dish - professional florists know which plants can exist together. If there is any doubt about compatibility, then it is better to separate the bouquet by placing the plants in different containers.

Note: plants with a strong aroma usually do not get along well with each other, so orchids, roses, lilies do not tolerate neighborhood. Lilies of the valley, daffodils, peas have a detrimental effect on all plants, and not just on capricious sissies from the flower world. Sprigs of geranium, woodruff, thuja, on the contrary, have a beneficial effect on any neighbors.

Royal Care for the Queen of Flowers

Roses are considered the most eloquent declaration of love. And the stronger the desire to save them as long as possible. To do this, you need to follow the rules:

Before putting them in water, remove the leaves and thorns on the part of the stem that will be in the water;
The ends of the stems are cut at an angle with a sharp knife. It is impossible to use scissors, since a section deformed by compression will not absorb water well;
The cutting procedure is carried out under water. Then they are placed in a vase, making sure that the sections do not get into the air - air bubbles will clog the tubules, worsen the “water supply” of the beauty.
Roses love bathing: at night they can be placed in a bath filled with cool water, leaving only inflorescences on the surface;
During the day, it is useful to spray the leaves and outer petals with a spray bottle.
Daily water changes (1 every two days if additives and top dressing are used). When changing the water, at the same time rinse the stems under running water and make a fresh cut (by 1 cm);
Timely remove withered petals and leaves.

This is interesting: experienced flower growers believe that, other things being equal, red roses last longer than their more delicate (white, pink) "sisters".

With careful observance of the rules of care, roses remain fresh for up to 1 month.

Bouquet water

Experienced florists never use tap water. For a bouquet, it is better to use melted, spring or settled water. In order for the flowers to stand for a long time, top dressing and substances that prevent the development of microbes are added to the water:

Sugar - 1 tsp for 1 liter of water. Such top dressing is useful for roses, daffodils, tulips, carnations.
Acid - vinegar (1 tsp) or an aspirin tablet for dahlias, gladiolus, chrysanthemums.
Alcohol or 1 tsp. vodka added to water will prolong the life of asters.

Interesting: earlier, to preserve the bouquet, a silver coin was placed at the bottom of the vase. Silver disinfects water and flowers live longer. Flower lovers claim that the method works.

To prevent microbes from multiplying in water, manganese crystals, streptocide, borax or alum (on the tip of a knife) can be added to it. For flowers bought in a store and accustomed to chemistry. add 2 drops of whiteness or other detergent.

In tree-like plants (chrysanthemum, lilac), the water absorption surface is increased by splitting the cut along the stem by 1–2 cm. A wedge (match) is inserted into the crevice to prevent the parts from closing.
Hollow stems of flowers (dandelions, dahlias) are filled with water using a syringe and the hole is plugged with cotton wool.
Plants that excrete milky juice on a cut of the stem, cauterized with fire or dipped in boiling water for a few seconds. The curdled lump is removed under water, thereby preventing a new “plug” from forming and providing water access.
In winter, the water in the vase should be at room temperature, in summer it should be cool. To cool the water overnight, you can drop an ice cube from the refrigerator into it.
Flowers will last longer if the arrangement is covered with newspaper at night. This will reduce moisture evaporation.
You can not put a bouquet next to the fruit - the gas that the fruits emit (ethylene) shortens the life of cut flowers.
You should choose the right place for the bouquet - direct sunlight, drafts, the proximity of heating appliances are detrimental to the composition of living plants.

Compliance with simple rules will allow you to keep flowers in a vase for a long time. And, perhaps, this gift will delight with its colors and aroma until the next presented bouquet.