Come Valentine’s Day and love is all around. What makes the day even more special is receiving a bouquet of luscious red roses from your loved one.

Roses can last for one week but with so many emotions attached to your Valentine’s day roses, wouldn’t it be good to make them last longer? The good news is, roses can last longer than a week if you properly care for them. Follow these simple tips to extend the life of your Valentine’s Day roses so that they can remain a sight for sore eyes!

How long do cut roses last?

Cut roses typically last up to one week if they’re kept in a cool place and flower food is used as directed by your florist. However, you can make them last longer than a week by following additional care tips. This will allow you to properly enjoy your bouquet! The longevity of roses will depend on how long you have them without water, the overall health of the flowers and what variety of roses you receive.

How do I keep my roses from dying or wilting?

To be given red roses on Valentine’s Day is a very romantic gesture, teeming with emotions. To make this special moment last longer, follow these easy tips to prevent your roses from dying and wilting too soon!

Begin with a Clean Vase

Once you receive your roses, make sure you have a vase that is completely clean to place them in. Dirty vases can harbour bacteria, which can cause cut roses to deteriorate and wilt very quickly.

A simple way to ensure a bacteria-free vase is to use rinse it with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. This combination can effectively remove any dirt or built-up residue.

Follow these steps to clean your vase:

1. Fill a medium-sized vase with warm water, then pour a tablespoon of baking soda. If you have a very large vase then it’s recommended that you pour more.
2. Next, pour in a small amount of white vinegar. This combination will become fizzy, which is what removes any residue from inside the vase.
3. Rinse with clean water and then wipe the vase clean with a soft cotton cloth. Voila!

Trim the Stems of Cut Roses

Changing the water of cut roses every alternate day will keep them fresh longer.  However, each time the vase water is changed, the stem of the rose needs to be trimmed by about an inch. It’s important to trim the stem under water at a slight angle. You can either do this in a bucket of cool water or under a running tap. This ensures the xylem capillaries don’t get blocked by microscopic air bubbles, which can impede water and nutrient uptake.

The shorter you cut the stem, the longer it will last. This is because the water has the least distance to travel to the rosebuds.

Remove the leaves off the stems

When placing your cut roses in a vase, try to have no leaves submerged in the vase water. As leaves under water start to decay, they harbour bacteria that will hasten the wilting of roses too. This is a simple trick that can cause the life of your flowers to increase considerably!

Always keep roses in a cool spot

The best place to keep your Valentine’s Day cut roses is in a cool spot of your office or home. Warm temperatures are not favoured because the flowers will overheat and dry up. It’s also a good idea to not keep roses directly under an air-conditioner.

Change the Vase Water Regularly

The simplest way to give cut roses a longer life is by changing the vase water regularly. If that’s not possible, try to change it every other day. This will help keep the flowers and the vase, fresh and clean. Stale water in a vase creates perfect conditions for bacteria growth. This will drastically limit the life of cut flowers.

Does aspirin keep flowers fresh?

Yes, it can! Crushing an aspirin tablet into the water of the vase will help keep flowers fresher for longer. Simply place aspirin tablets on a plate and crush them by using the back of a spoon. This will form a powder that you can pour into your vase of roses. The salicylic acid in the aspirin will keep the water clean and free from bacteria.

Is it better to keep roses fresh in the fridge?

If you’re unable to gift your Valentine’s Day roses to your special someone, one of the ways you can keep them fresh for a day or so is by placing them in the fridge. This will ensure they keep cool. Here’s the correct way to store roses in the fridge:

1. Place your bouquet of roses into a vase that is filled ¾ of the way with cool water
2. Check the temperature of the fridge and make sure it’s set below 4.4 degrees Celsius
3. Remove any fruit from the fridge. This is critical because the fruit will release gases that encourage bacteria and may deteriorate the roses.
4. You can keep roses for at least 6 hours each night. This will allow enough time for the flowers to absorb the water and stay fresh longer

The big remains: How long can roses remain fresh without water?

Cut rose stems can only last a couple of hours if not immediately provided with water after gifting has occurred. If you notice that petals appear limp or begin to wilt, it’s a sign that the flowers need water immediately.