Fresh cut flowers can bring beauty, sweet smells, and a special brightness to any space. Whether you’re hosting an event catered by Heirloom with tablescapes that dazzle, or simply want to bring vibrancy into your home, a well-arranged vase can truly ignite a smile.

But flowers are delicate and need to be properly cared for to live long, healthy lives in your vase, whether you picked them up at your local farmer’s market or plucked them right from your garden. Here are some tips to preserve the life of your flowers – at home, at work, or wherever you may be in Washington DC.

Step 1: Clean Your Vase

You probably wouldn’t want to live in a dirty home. Well, your flowers don’t either. A vase that’s been used for other flowers—or just sitting in your breakfront gathering dust—needs a good soap and water scrub to rid of bacteria and fungi. Make sure to rinse out all of the soap—your flowers want to eat that about as much as you do.

Step 2: Cut The Stems

Before you immerse your flowers in water, remove any leaves from the bottom of their stems so they aren’t submerged. Even if your stems are already cut, re-cut them with shears or kitchen scissors at about one to two inches on an angle. Do so while they are under water. You can do this in a basin or by holding the stems under tap water while you cut. This will preserve their lives by ensuring no extra air gets in their stems.

If your flowers are just budding, make sure to place them in water right away. Early in the morning is best, so they can gradually warm up to the sunlight—especially in the heat of the DC summer.

If your flowers are still budding, start off with warm water, as this will encourage them to open. Then switch to cool water to slow down their aging process. Excessively hot water will make your flowers wilt and cold water will cause them to die quickly–which would be very sad for you and your flowers!

Step 3: Arrange Your Flowers

You might think regular water is just fine for your flowers, but if you want them to live long they need a bit more nourishment. Vase solutions provide flowers with the nutrients they need like sugar, which helps buds open and last long, acid, which improves water flow, and preservatives that fight off bacteria and fungi. You can pick up a pack at the grocery store.

Step 4: Let Them Breathe

Just like you wouldn’t want to be consuming second hand smoke and pollution, your flowers also need to live in a clean, well-ventilated environment. Make sure to position them near a window with lots of light and clean, fresh air.

If you’re arranging flowers for a larger event, Heirloom Catering can help you keep them fresh and sweet-smelling for as long as you need—and help you create beautiful arrangements. Keep these simple tips in mind while caring for your flowers and watch them bloom beautifully–and last.