The Zeidler’s Flowers team is dedicated to bringing you the best quality flowers, but our investment in them doesn’t stop when they leave our hands. We want you to know exactly how to preserve and maintain your beautiful blooms so that they live their longest, fullest life in your hands. So without further ado, a few tips and tricks culled from our substantial experience working with flowers.

First, a few basics. Your flowers will arrive either with preservative already mixed into the water or with a packet for you to distribute. This flower food is essentially a mix of bleach, acid and sugar which will help balance the water’s pH level and keep bacteria at bay. Make sure your flowers always have enough to drink, and if the water is looking murky after a day or two, gently lift your arrangement up, flush your container and refill.

For fresh wearables like corsages and boutonnieres as well as event arrangements like bouquets, storing in the fridge is okay. However, make sure you keep fruit away from these pieces. Fruit emits a gas that can make flower petals go to sleep. Keep your flowers in the front of the fridge rather than the back, where it may be too cold.

Since it’s sunflower season, you may be wondering how to make those bold beauties last as long as possible. One way is to dry them. Hang them upside down until no moisture is left, and do so in an area where birds cannot get to them. After dry, remove the seeds from the flower head and use as a bird seed come winter.

We’ve got plenty more floral care tips to help your flowers live a long and prosperous life.