How to Care for Cut Roses at Home

Roses are the classic gift flower, and they reward a little attention. With fresh water and a clean cut every couple of days, most roses give you 5 to 10 days in the vase, depending on the variety and how warm your home is. The one thing that matters most is keeping water moving up the stem, because a rose that stops drinking droops at the neck.

When your roses arrive

1. Unpack the arrangement as soon as you can, especially if a doorman held it for a while, and check the water level.
2. Top the vase up with cool, clean water. Most of our vase designs are arranged in water, so keep the vase well filled.
3. Use the flower food packet we include. Mix it into the water as the packet directs; it feeds the blooms and slows the bacteria that block stems.
4. Leave the design as it is for the first day. On day two or three, when you change the water, lift the roses out a few at a time, cut about an inch off each stem at an angle with sharp scissors or a knife, and put them straight back.
5. In the few designs set in green foam, keep the foam wet and leave the stems where we placed them.

Hand-tied bouquets come wrapped and are meant for your own vase. Remove the wrap and any rubber band, cut about an inch off every stem, and place the bouquet in a clean vase of cool water with the flower food. Take off any leaves that would sit below the waterline. Our guide to putting a bouquet in a vase walks through it step by step.

Everyday care

• Top up every morning; roses are thirsty, and a warm apartment empties a vase fast.
• Change the water every two days or so, or sooner if it turns cloudy. Rinse the vase, refill with fresh water (add any flower food you have left), and re-trim the stems while they are out.
• Keep leaves out of the water. Submerged leaves rot and cloud the water quickly.
• Keep roses out of direct sun and away from radiators, steam heat, air-conditioning vents and drafty windows.
• Keep them away from a fruit bowl. Ripening fruit gives off ethylene, a gas that ages flowers faster.
• Pull out any rose that is clearly finished so the rest of the arrangement stays fresh.

Make them last longer

Guard petals. The outer one to three petals on a rose are often a little darker, creased or bruised at the edges. Growers leave these guard petals on to protect the bloom on its way to us. If they bother you, hold the petal at its base and pull it gently down and away. Take off only the damaged outer ones; removing too many can stop the rose from opening properly.

Thorns. Florists usually take off the thorns and leaves that would sit in the water, but some thorns often stay higher up. Wear gloves if you are rearranging them. To remove more thorns, snap them off sideways by hand. Don't scrape the stem with a knife: torn bark lets bacteria in and shortens vase life.

Opening them faster. Tight buds open sooner in a warmer room. Move the vase somewhere a bit warmer (still out of direct sun), refresh it with lukewarm water (and flower food, if you have some left), and give it a day.

Keeping them closed longer. To slow roses down for a dinner or an event, keep them in a cool room, away from sunny south windows and radiators.

For more habits that work on every flower, see our guide on how to make cut flowers last.

Common problems

Why is my rose drooping just below the flower?

This is called bent neck. The stem stops delivering water to the head, often because an air bubble or bacteria block it, and the soft neck folds. Act quickly: recut the stem about two inches under water, wrap the rose upright in paper and stand it in deep water for a few hours. If it still hangs, lay the whole rose in a sink of warm (not hot) water for an hour or two, with the head straight. Then put it back in the vase with fresh water (with flower food if you have some left). Many roses stand back up. Some don't, especially if the neck was weak to begin with, and then it is best to remove that stem. Our guide to reviving drooping flowers covers other flowers too.

Why aren't my roses opening?

Some varieties open slowly, and a cool room slows them more. Recut the stems, use fresh lukewarm water with flower food and move the vase somewhere a little warmer. A bud that stays hard and starts to hang its head is usually not drinking; treat it like bent neck.

Why are the petal edges turning brown?

A little browning on the outer guard petals is normal and can be pulled off. Browning deeper in the flower usually means heat, sun, dry air or old water. Move the vase somewhere cooler and change the water.

Why is the water cloudy or smelly?

That is bacteria, usually from leaves in the water or water left too long. Empty and wash the vase, strip any submerged leaves, recut the stems and refill with fresh water. Skip home remedies like sugar or aspirin. If something looks wrong when your roses arrive, contact us within 3 days of delivery or pickup with your order number, the recipient's name and a photo, as our refund policy explains, and we'll take a look and make it right where we can.

Good to know

• Pets: the ASPCA lists roses (Rosa) as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. Thorns can still scratch a curious nose or paw, and other flowers in a mixed arrangement may be a different story. If you think a pet has eaten something harmful, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. See our guide to pet-safe flowers.
• Pollen and scent: roses shed very little pollen, so stains are rarely a worry. Scent varies a lot by variety; many long-stem roses have a light scent.
• Colors and varieties you may see: hot pink, blush, peach and lavender roses; deep red Explorer roses; cream-white Mondial; orange-red High Magic; yellow, orange and yellow-and-coral bicolor roses; and petite white roses in small designs. Most of our designs use standard single-stem roses. If you want spray roses or garden roses for an order, ask the shop.
• Season: cut roses are available year-round.
• Meaning: red for love, pink for gratitude and admiration, yellow for friendship, white for new beginnings and remembrance.