It brings so much joy when you get a bouquet of roses as a gift. If you are an avid home décor enthusiast, you might purchase roses to decorate the house. The bright hue of the flower and its sweet fragrance provides a refreshed look wherever it is placed. 

But keeping the roses fresh and bright is a challenge. Normally, roses will stay fresh for unto a week. After that, it changes its colour or start drying off. But through proper care you can keep them fresh and prolong their life.  

Here are some simple tips to lengthen the lifespan of roses.

Cut the stem

Roses absorb water through the stem and keep themselves moisturised. When the roses are cut from the plant, it automatically seals the cut portion, just like healing a wound. The water absorption to the flower is then considerably reduced. To prevent this, you should cut the stem one inch from the tip every time you change the water. It is best to cut it at a 45-degree angle to provide more surface area for the flower to absorb water. 

Remove leaves

You should remove leaves from the bottom of the stem before placing it in the water. Basically, there shouldn’t be any leaves submerged in water. This is because submerged leaves will decay resulting in the growth of bacteria. 

Use a clean vase

An unclean vase can be a breading ground for bacteria, which will eventually reduce the flower's lifespan. Thus, you should always use a clean vase for arranging the flowers. If the vase is dishwasher safe, you can clean it in a dishwasher. Otherwise, use warm soapy water or a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to clean the vase. 

Place them away from heat

Too much heat can affect the lifespan of roses. Thus, you should always keep them away from direct sunlight. Similarly, if you have a heater or a radiator inside the house, you should keep the flowers away from them. This is because roses have very delicate petals which can get damaged easily. 

Use warm water

Warm water helps the flower stem to absorb more water molecules. Besides, roses being summer flowers prefer warm water. Thus, it is best to use warm water in the vase to prolong the life of the flowers. 

Change the water regularly

Stagnant water can be breading ground for germs. Thus, you should clean the vase and change the water once every 2-3 days. If there are any leaves or petals on the vase, you should remove that as well. 

Provide flower food

Most flower bouquets that you purchase online comes with flower food. You can add this food to the warm water before placing the flower. Alternatively, you can also use a mixture of lemon, sugar and bleaching powder as flower food. 

Decorating the room with roses is the best way to provide a new dimension to the room. But purchasing roses every alternate days is not feasible. Thus, through proper care you can prolong the life of roses and keep your room smelling fresh and clean.