Flower care
How to care for your flowers
Straight answers from our florists on Madison Avenue: what to do when your flowers arrive, how to keep them fresh, and how to care for each flower and plant we send.
Just got flowers? Start here
Four habits that make the biggest difference.
- Top up the waterOur arrangements arrive in water. Check the vase every day and fill it back up.
- Find a cool spotKeep them away from radiators, sunny windows, air-conditioning vents and the fruit bowl.
- Use the flower foodEvery order comes with a packet. Mix it into fresh water when you change it.
- Fresh water every 2 daysPour out the old water, trim a little off each stem, refill and add food.
Care basics
The routine that works for almost every cut flower.
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Care tips
Just arrived
The first few minutes matter most. What to do with a vase arrangement, a bouquet or an orchid plant, and where to put them so they last.
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Care tips
Make flowers last
The simple routine that keeps cut flowers fresh, why it works (bacteria, air, ethylene, heat), and the vase-water myths to skip.
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Care tips
Revive drooping flowers
Most drooping flowers are just thirsty. How to rescue roses, hydrangeas, tulips, gerberas and lilac, and when a bloom is truly done.
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Care tips
Bouquet in a vase
Keep the tie, pick a vase about half the bouquet's height, trim the stems to fit and add the flower food we include. No vase? A pitcher works.
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Care tips
Pets and flowers
Lilies are dangerous to cats. Here is the ASPCA status of 23 popular flowers, what to do if a pet eats one, and pet-friendlier picks.
Cut flowers
Flower-by-flower care for the stems in our arrangements and bouquets.
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Cut flowers
Roses
Daily water, clean cuts and a cool spot keep roses going for days. Plus guard petals, thorns, opening buds and the fix for bent neck.
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Cut flowers
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are thirsty and drink through their petals too. Keep the vase full, mist lightly, and soak a wilted head in water to bring it back.
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Cut flowers
Cymbidium orchids
Cut cymbidium orchids can outlast everything else in the vase. Keep them away from fruit and cold drafts, and leave the center of each bloom alone.
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Cut flowers
Ranunculus
Soft hollow stems and layers of thin petals that open over days. How to keep ranunculus cool, clean and drinking for 5 to 7 days.
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Cut flowers
Calla lilies
Callas have soft, water-filled stems. Keep the water clean, trim the stems, pull any slimy ones, and handle the blooms as little as possible.
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Cut flowers
Lilies
Lilies open bud by bud for a week or more. Pull the pollen anthers, remove spent blooms, keep them cool, and keep them away from cats.
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Cut flowers
Lisianthus
Lisianthus looks delicate but lasts. Keep the vase full, use the flower food so the buds open, and snip off each bloom as it fades.
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Cut flowers
Tulips
Tulips keep growing after cutting and lean toward the light. Keep them cool, turn the vase daily and top up the water, and they usually last 5 to 10 days.
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Cut flowers
Peonies
Tight buds that open fast in warmth and slowly in a cool room. How to pace your peonies, support heavy heads and keep them fresh for 5 to 8 days.
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Cut flowers
Hyacinths
Heavy, fragrant spikes on soft, juicy stems. How to keep hyacinths upright, clean and drinking for 5 to 7 days in the vase.
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Cut flowers
Amaryllis
Amaryllis have tall, hollow stems that can split and curl. Keep the tape band on, support heavy heads, and change the water often as the buds open in turn.
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Cut flowers
Freesias
Freesias open one bud at a time from the bottom up. Fresh water, flower food and no fruit nearby help every bud open.
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Cut flowers
Snapdragons
Snapdragons curl toward light if tilted, so keep them upright. Use the flower food, snip faded lower blooms and keep fruit away.
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Cut flowers
Dahlias
Big late-summer blooms on thirsty hollow stems. How to keep dahlias cool and drinking for 4 to 7 days, and what to do when one wilts.
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Cut flowers
Gerberas
Big cheerful daisies that want shallow, spotless water. How to keep gerbera necks upright and the flowers bright for 5 to 10 days.
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Cut flowers
Delphinium
Tall blue spikes that drop florets near ripening fruit. Keep them cool, clean and topped up for about 6 to 10 days in the vase.
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Cut flowers
Lilacs
Lilacs are fragrant but short-lived in a vase. Strip the leaves, recut the woody stems, keep the water cool and topped up, and give them a cool room.
Plants
Orchids and other plants that keep going for months.
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Plants
Orchid plants
Water your moth orchid when the moss is nearly dry, drain it well, give it bright indirect light, and it can bloom for months and flower again.
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Plants
Succulents
Succulents want bright light and very little water. Water sparingly, let the soil dry completely, and give it your sunniest window in winter.
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Plants
Poinsettia
Poinsettias are tropical: keep them warm and out of drafts, water when the surface is dry, and let the foil drain. Plus the truth about the "deadly" myth.
We don't have a guide for that one yet. Call and ask a florist: 212-289-1677
More from our Flower Blog
Earlier care articles from our blog.
Choosing flowers for someone?
Answer a few quick questions and we'll show you the arrangements that fit.
Questions about your flowers?
Our florists are happy to help. Call us at 212-289-1677.