Cut flowers are an easy and affordable way to brighten any room in your home, but it’s disappointing when these beautiful blooms begin to wilt just days after you place them on the coffee table. Here are expert tips from a florist for longer-lasting bouquets. 

1. Change the water. Changing out the water in your vase every two days will give the flowers fresh hydration to absorb. You can even change the water more often if you notice it getting murky. 
2. Cut stems diagonally. Rather than cutting stems on a straight edge, cut them at an angle for a diagonal tip. An easy way to do this is with a cutting board and a sharp knife. 
3. Clean out your vase. Thoroughly clean vases to get rid of dust and bacteria before putting in new blooms. 
4. Store in a cool place. Unlike flowers in the ground, cut flowers don’t love direct sunlight or heat. It can be tempting to place them in a sunny window, but a cooler spot will make them last longer. 
5. Remove most leaves. Cut flowers take up water into their leaves before their blooms, so removing all but a couple of leaves from your stems will direct that hydration to the petals and keep them perky. 
6. Buy fresh. The more recently a flower has been picked, the longer it will last. Look to local florists or farmers’ markets for the freshest flowers in town!

Flowers are a close second to houseplants when it comes to calming natural decorations. If you want a long-lasting bloom, lilies, amaryllis, sunflowers, and hellebore are all great resilient varieties.