With spring in the air, blooms and buds are starting to appear and open, so the choice of flowers for creating your own display from your garden, or buying a lovely bunch in the shops, has also blossomed.
Giving colour, scent and visual happiness, flowers in your home are an instant 'pick me up' for many people, but it is then rather disappointing, although inevitable, when your blooms start to fade and die.
But there are some ingenious ways you can make your cut flowers last longer, and it's not one of those fiddly flower food sachets that come with bought flowers that are difficult to open and usually end up partially on the kitchen table, down the side of the vase or all over your fingers.
READ MORE: How to use pattern to the maximum in your home like a professional interior designer
And these five suggestions for increasing the life of your cut flowers can all be found around most homes, says Nick Drewe, trends specialist at WeThrift, who has spotted some ingenious hacks on Tiktok that may make your blooms last longer.
1. Vodka
It turns out that our flowers like a boozy pick-me-up. When added to a vase, vodka helps to preserve flowers due to its ability to inhibit ethylene production. As a ripening gas, ethylene aids the maturation process of your plants and slows down the wilting of flowers.
Alcohol is also an antibacterial agent, which further makes the spirit a rejuvenating drink for your flowers. So if you can bear to part with some of your favourite vodka, simply add a few drops to your flower vase and watch them blossom as the days go on.
2. Sprite
If you can wrestle it from the kids, this sugary drink is apparently known as the most effective way of keeping your flowers fresh - it seems Sprite, and other sodas, are your flowers' best friend according to Nick.
He says this is because the drink makes the water in your vase more acidic, enabling it to travel up the stem more quickly. What's more, the sugar acts as flower food. Just put a quarter of a cup (60ml) of Sprite into your vase - you'll notice your flowers will also start to smell very sweet!
3. Apple cider vinegar and sugar
An interesting combo - but adding apple cider vinegar and sugar to your flowers is just as effective as adding store-bought flower food to your vase. This is because the vinegar acts as an antibacterial agent while the sugar acts as additional flower food.
Simply mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and two tablespoons of sugar into the water in your vase before adding your flowers and Nick says this concoction will do the rest.
4. Copper penny
If you can find one, because cash seems to be hard to find after two years of Covid-19 pandemic forcing us to use contactless card payments, a copper coin like a penny might be a lucky find for your flowers.
Dropping a penny into the middle of your vase works wonders because copper is a fungicide and naturally kills bacteria growth in your flower arrangement. After a couple of days, you'll find that the blooms with the copper penny will have opened up quite nicely.
5. The fridge
Now everyone surely has a fridge, even if they don't have any of the ingredients or the items suggested so far. Due to the cool temperature of your fridge, it will slow down the ageing process of your flowers, which will delay the time they take to wilt and die.
That said, try the method of putting your bouquet in the fridge every night before bed, typically for a duration of eight hours. Nick says: "In addition to all these great hacks, make sure you also follow the typical flower care tips to keep your petals thriving.
"This includes cutting the stems and pruning the leaves before you put them into the vase for the first time, watering them every two to three days, and keeping them away from direct sunlight, heat, drafts and fruits."
Then sit back and enjoy your blooms for longer, and for more home and DIY tips, plus the best homes for sale in Wales and incredible renovation stories, join our Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter.
