Now that you have your bouquet, here’s a few quick tips to keeping your flowers looking pristine. Keep in mind that it can take 2-3 days for your blooms to reach their full potential.
1. Trim the Stems
After you have unwrapped your bouquet, cut the stems at a 45-degree angle. We recommend using shears if you have them to ensure a cleaner cut. Trim the stems every couple days.
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2. Clean Water Daily
One of the best tips for getting the most enjoyment out of your flowers is to change the water daily with fresh, cold water. The water should look good enough to drink!
To ensure the water stays clean, remove any leaves or foliage from the stems that fall under the waterline of the vase.
3. Use the Flower Food
Drop in the supplied flower food into your vase and follow the instructions on the packet (this helps your flowers last longer). If you need to make your own or run out, you can replicate at home by adding a couple of drops of bleach and a pinch of sugar to fresh water.
4. Keep in Indirect Light
Place your flowers in the vase and keep them in indirect sunlight. If you’d like for your blooms to open up more quickly, perhaps for a special event, then use warm water to gently coax the blooms open.
5. Remove Stems as Needed
Every stem has a different expected vase life. As blooms expire, pull them out from the bouquet to keep the other blooms fresher, longer. Enjoy your bouquet’s subtle changes each day as it ages gracefully!
Related:
This article originally appeared on UrbanStems.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
More from MediaFeed:
Do you know your state’s official flower?
As the months get warmer, flowers are starting to bloom, dotting the landscape with swaths of vibrant color. In celebration of spring, we’ve put together this list of every state’s official flower, with lovely photos and a little history as well.
kanonsky / istockphoto
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Year it became official: 1959
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How to find it: Look for delicate light pink petals folded up tightly, although you can also find the flower in a variety of other colors across the South.
Camellia by junichiro aoyama (CC BY)
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Year it became official: 1917
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How to find it: This dainty purplish-blue flower has a yellow-white core. You can find varieties of the forget-me-not across Alaska.
Alpine Forget-Me-Not by Meneerke bloem (CC BY-SA)
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Year it became official: 1931
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How to find it: Unsurprisingly, Arizona’s state flower is a blooming cactus. Look for white flowers with a yellow center at the end of a cactus. When the flowers haven’t bloomed yet, you’ll likely see large green buds attached to the cactus.
Arizona: Saguaro Cactus Blossom by raelb Follow (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1901
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How to find it: Given Arkansas’ history as an apple-growing state, it only makes sense that the apple blossom is its official state flower. If you can’t make of the state’s many apple blossom festivals, you can still find this white and pink flower naturally across the state.
apple blossom by to.wi (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1903
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How to find it: This vibrant “golden” flower is a great choice for the Golden State. It has elegant, flowing petals that wrap around its stem.
california poppy by docentjoyce (CC BY)
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Year it became official: 1899
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How to find it: The columbine is a white and lavender flower with graceful yellow seeds hanging from its center like tentacles. If you couldn’t tell by the name, you can find it in the Rocky Mountains, among other places around Colorado.
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Year it became official:1907
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How to find it: This flower is known for its star-shaped petals and reddish-pinkish specks.
mountain laurel by Arx Fortis (CC BY-SA)
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Year it became official:1895
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How to find it: Look for bold pinkish-orange petals, like the color of an actual peach.
Peach Blossom by pepperberryfarm (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1909
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How to find it: Unsurprisingly, Florida chose the orange blossom for its state flower. Look for a white-cream petal with an orange-yellow middle.
Orange Blossom by (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1916
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How to find it: This is a white rose with a bright yellow middle.
Cherokee Rose by Courtney McGough (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1988
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How to find it: Look for a hibiscus-shaped flower that’s a bright golden yellow.
Pua Aloalo by Rosa Say (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1931
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How to find it: This flower has four white petals with pastel yellow seeds in the middle.
Syringa by Brent Miller (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1908
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How to find it: Keep your eyes peeled for a small flower that is, well, violet.
violet by Maia C (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1957
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How to find it: This is a bold, fluffy flower that’s most commonly a vibrant pinkish-red, although it can be found in other colors, too.
Peony by Bob Gutowski (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1897
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How to find it: The flower has small, delicate pink-white petals and a thick stem with lots of leaves.
Wild Rose by jinjian liang (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1903
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How to find it: Look for thick stems and its signature yellow petals. You can find sunflowers across the state.
Sunflowers by LynnK827 (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1926
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How to find it: The goldenrod is shaped like a lightning bolt speckled with tiny yellow buds.
Goldenrod by Elaine (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1900
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How to find it: Magnolias have thick, curved petals and are most commonly found in a cream-white color.
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Year it became official: 1895
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How to find it: White pines can be seen across Maine. Just look for the massive white pine trees, and the pine cones are sure to follow.
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Year it became official: 1918
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How to find it: As the name suggests, this flower has a strong, big black middle and is surrounded by yellow petals.
Black-Eyed Susan by Dendroica cerulea (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1918
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How to find it: Look for bunched-together small, star-shaped petals. They’re most commonly found in shades of white and purple.
Mayflower by Jim Sorbie (CC BY)
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Year it became official: 1897
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How to find it: Michigan named the apple blossom its official state flower since apples grow naturally across Michigan.
apple blossom by to.wi (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1967
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How to find it: These flowers have unique petals that curve upward, making them look like a multi-colored slipper.
Pink & White Lady Slipper by Orchidhunter1939 (CC BY-SA)
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Year it became official: 1952
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How to find it: Magnolias were chosen by school children to be the state flower. The flower also appears on the state’s bicentennial coin.
Magnolia by pontla (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1923
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How to find it: Look for clustered little white flowers with black seeds.
Hawthorn flowers by Eugene Zelenko (CC BY-SA)
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Year it became official: 1895
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How to find it: Bitterroots have overlapping purple-white petals and white middle.
Bitterroot by David A. Hofmann (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1895
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How to find it: Goldenrods are native to Nevada and be found by looking for fuzzy yellow buds that are grouped together.
Goldenrod by Tim Tonjes (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1917
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How to find it: Look for tall, fuzzy stems with about three“petals” sticking up straight from the stem.
sagebrush by Joel Hoffman (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1991
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How to find it: This flower has one long petal that curls to look like a slipper.
Pink & White Lady Slipper by Orchidhunter1939 (CC BY-SA)
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Year it became official: 1913
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How to find it: Violets speckle New Jersey’s landscape with bold purple flowers.
Wood Violet by Maia C (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1927
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How to find it: The yucca flower has a signature white bulb, although there are other species of the flower across the state, too.
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Year it became official: 1955
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How to find it: While you may not find roses growing naturally in New York City, you can find them in the state’s more rural or country areas.
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Year it became official: 1941
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How to find it: Dogwood flowers have tiny white petals and bold yellow cores. They are often grouped together like a thunderbolt.
Dogwood by David Hoffman (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1907
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How to find it: The wild prairie rose has light pink petals and a golden center.
wild prairie rose by Alexwcovington (CC BY-SA)
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Year it became official: 1904
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How to find it: This flower’s red petals create a fluffy bulb.
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Year it became official: 2004
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How to find it: The state liked the flower so much, they named it after themselves. This variation of the rose is commonly used in teas.
red rose by Jörg Kanngießer (CC BY-NC)
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Year it became official: 1899
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How to find it: The Oregon grape is a bushel of tiny yellow bulbs arranged like grapes.
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Year it became official: 1933
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How to find it: Mountain Laurels are petticoat-shaped flowers with a star-shaped pattern in a reddish-pink color on the inside. They puff out like an umbrella.
Mountain Laurel by Tim Singer (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1968
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How to find it: You can find violets across the state, as they are common throughout the northern hemisphere.
violet by Dendroica cerulea (CC BY-NC-SA)
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Year it became official: 1924
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How to find it: This is another delicate but bold flower. The yellow jessamine grows wildly in the state.
Yellow Jessamine by John ‘K’ (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1903
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How to find it: Look for oval-shaped purple petals with a yellow-gold middle.
American Pasque by Hillarie (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1933
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How to find it: Irises have a purple-blue petal with a yellow middle where the two petals combine.
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Year it became official: 1901
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How to find it: Bonnets are small blue buds or redbuds that climb upward, forming the shape of a bonnet.
bluebonnet by Stephanie (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1911
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How to find it: This lily has three oval petals and three triangular ones. It’s most commonly found in white.
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Year it became official: 1894
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How to find it: This flower forms a large bulb out of smaller bulbs. It’s commonly found in red or purple.
Red Clover by Tim Tonjes (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1918
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How to find it: This flower can be found on dogwood branches. Look for small white flowers, although in winter the flower can develop redbuds as well.
dogwood by laura.bell (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official: 1959
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How to find it: Look for pastel reds and pinks stained on a white flower. They naturally grow in the shape of a bouquet.
Rhododendron by Arx Fortis (CC BY-SA)
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Year it became official: 1903
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How to find it: The rhododendron has a series of small cream flowers bunched in a bouquet formation. They have light green seeds in their middles.
Rhododendron by Arx Fortis (CC BY-SA)
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Year it became official: 1909
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How to find it: Wisconsin is one of the many other Midwest states that chose the violet as their flower. The wood violet can be found across Wisconsin.
violet by Maia C (CC BY-NC-ND)
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Year it became official:1917
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How to find it: This flower has a tall stem with flowers budding up and down it. It’s called a paintbrush because the red flowers bloom randomly on the stem, making it look like specks of paint on a brush.
This article originally appeared on and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Indian Paintbrush by rumolay (CC BY-NC-ND)
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