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3 Insightful Tips To Help Beautiful Mother’s Day Flowers Last Longer

Jasmine Washington
Mother's Day Flowers Last
Photo By Hispanolistic/ Getty Images

When it comes to Mother's Day gifts, flowers are usually a top pick for many of Us. From handmade finds using florals from our favorite grocery stores to lavish arrangements from online florists, there are so many unique bouquet styles to choose from. We love showering all the moms in our lives with beautiful blossoms. However, there's no denying that they don't always last very long.

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Depending on how well the recipient maintains them, beautiful flowers can wilt in days, especially if the vase water gets murky. If you've scrolled on TikTok lately, you've probably seen tons of videos of people using everything from pennies to bleach to help their floral arrangements last longer. We reached out to UrbanStems floral expert and designer Justin Lievano for the best tips and tricks to keep Mother's Day flowers fresh for as long as possible.

Maintaining Mother's Day flowers is a lot easier than it looks on social media. According to Lievano, it's a really simple process. "The most important thing for fresh-cut flowers is access to clean water," he says.

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Lievano recommends changing flower water every two days and using the flower food that comes with the bouquet as directed instead of opting for viral hacks. "All these homespun solutions are trying to do two things — limit the growth of bacteria in the vase water (this is what actually kills your flowers by the way) and feed your flowers," he warns. "Flower food does exactly those two things, but it isn’t strictly necessary! If you ever find yourself without it, changing the water in your vase every day is a much more effective way to keep the water clean than any DIY solution."

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Along with flower food and fresh water, there's another helpful tip to preserve Mother's Day flowers. "If you want to be a next-level flower lover, trim the stems at least 1/4” every time you change the water," he says. It's a subtle change that packs a powerful punch." Trimming the stems reopens the xylem that pulls water up to the flower. Doing that every day will absolutely help them last longer for you. Plus, It’s a moment to visit with your flowers each day. I like to trim and do water changes while I sip my coffee. The vibe is like “Good morning babies, let’s each have our morning sip!"

All fresh-cut flowers thrive on fresh water and flower food, however, there are some techniques that are specific to certain flowers. "When you buy poppies, you need to trim the stems and then seal them by singing [burning] them with a candle flame to ensure that they don’t leach their sap into the water," Lievano advises. "If you cut daffodils from your garden, hydrate them separately from other flowers for 12 hours before designing with them. If you throw them right into the water with other flowers, they’ll actually kill the others," he warns.

Whether you're hand-delivering a bouquet or shipping some to a distant relative, be sure to keep these tips in mind.

Since all you need is fresh water, flower food and scissors to make Mother's Day flowers last, we've rounded up the best flower food on Amazon. Check them out below:

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