Flowers never last quite as long as you'd like, especially considering how expensive a single bouquet can be.
 | | March 2, 2025 |  |
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| Nothing adds vibrancy, fragrance, and a dose of the outdoors to a home quite like fresh-cut flowers. A vase full of dahlias, tulips, or any of your favorite blooms is the ultimate centerpiece for a coffee table or dining table. There's one downside, though — flowers never last quite as long as you'd like, especially considering how expensive a single bouquet can be. Often, petals seem to start falling the second you stick those stems in a vase. |
 | | Credit: Kaboompics/ Pexels |
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| But there's good news: Adding one simple ingredient to your flowers' water can help them stay fresher for longer. Whether you receive a bouquet on your doorstep or cut stems from your garden, open up your fridge or head to the beverage aisle of your local grocery store before arranging the flowers in a vase. |
| What's the secret? A splash of a sugary soda such as Starry, 7UP, or Sprite. Soda's high sugar content serves as food for the flowers, which helps sustain them. Lemon-lime soda also contains citric acid, which can lower the pH of the water. Flowers thrive in a slightly acidic environment, as it helps water flow up the stems easier. This keeps the blooms hydrated and reduces harmful microbes in the water. |
| Put down your bottle of Coke, though. Clear sodas are a better option than colored ones because they won't discolor the water, which is especially important if your vase is transparent. Neon-yellow or brown flower water — no, thank you. Don't reach for the diet versions of Starry, 7UP, and Sprite either, since they lack the full sugar content. |
| To use this method, use a 50-50 soda-to-water ratio. Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle before placing them in the vase to help with water uptake. |
Bonus Tip If you don't keep soda in your fridge, rummage through your bar cart instead. A splash of vodka is another secret to longer-lasting flowers. Vodka slows bacterial growth, keeping the water cleaner and extending the flowers' lifespan. Save the heavy pours for your martinis, though; too much alcohol can dehydrate the flowers. Instead, add just a few drops of vodka along with a teaspoon of white granulated sugar to the water. |
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 | | MOLIMAO Glass Vase | | Tulip season is right around the corner, and a tall vase with a wide opening will provide the best support for these delicate blooms. I love the cloudlike shape of this fluted glass vessel, which measures over 8 inches tall and 7 inches wide. It comes in four different colors and makes a gorgeous centerpiece whether you're displaying tulips, hydrangeas, lilies, or a store-bought bouquet. — Kelsey Morrison, House Outlook Editor |
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| Megan McCarty is a Los Angeles-based writer who covers the fun stuff: design, travel, wellness, beauty, and fashion. She has written for publications including Domino, The Spruce, MyDomaine, Bustle, and Rue Magazine. Her life rules include, but are not limited to, zipper when merging, contribute to your IRA, and do the nice thing. |
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