How to Bring Wilting Floral Arrangements Back to Life

Even the freshest bouquet will eventually fade—but that doesn't mean your flowers are beyond saving. With a few simple steps, like recutting the stems, changing the water, and removing fading blooms, you can breathe new life into tired arrangements and extend their beauty by several days.

Starting with seasonal, locally grown flowers can also make a difference. "If they're local and seasonal, like dahlias in the fall, then they're going to have a longer vase life," says Robin Hilleary, the founder of Fleurotica, a New York-based floral studio. Rescuing wilted flowers is easier than you think. Here, we share how to bring your arrangements back to life.

Change the Water

Stopping a bouquet's decay process means keeping a lookout for bacteria, which can get into the water and infect your stems. If this is happening, the water will be slightly discolored. "I always say keep the water fresh enough that you would want to drink it yourself," says Hilleary. "People will send me pictures of an arrangement asking why they're drooping, and when I look at the bottom, there's an inch of brown water. Keeping the water fresh—I say change it daily—is best."

Wash the Vase

When you're refilling your vessel with clean water, make sure the vase itself isn't hanging onto bacteria or disease. Empty the vase and wash it thoroughly with dish soap before refilling it with clean water. Before you place florals back into the vessel, rinse and recut the stems.

Recut the Stems

When you arrange your bouquet, it's important to cut the stems at a 45-degree angle, which increases the surface area that takes in water and prevents the stems from sitting flat on the bottom of the vase. Recutting the stems when you change the water allows you to remove any bacteria that may be clogging the water uptake system, and to trim any slimy or browning parts of the stem itself.

Add DIY Flower Food

When flowers show true signs of fading, changing the water might not be enough. Adding a little sugar to nourish the stems, however, might help revive them. If you've already used the packet of flower food that came with your bouquet, make your own version; simple DIY formulas include ingredients like citric acid, lemon juice, bleach, sugar, lemon-lime soda, and baking soda.

Add Bleach

If there is already bacteria in the water supply, sugar alone won't help—but adding a small amount of bleach can. Bacteria cause blockages up the lengths of the stems, which prevents water from traveling up to the bulb; when bacteria gets there first, decay begins. "Another reason for water not being able to pass through the plants is due to a bacterial infection affecting the 'open wound' where it has been previously cut," says a representative from The Bouqs Co. Dilute 1 teaspoon of bleach in 1 quart of water to disinfect your bouquet.

Remove Decaying Stems

Obviously, any fresh bouquet will eventually start to die, even when kept in the best of conditions. As your flowers fade, however, revive what's left of your arrangement by plucking out the decaying stems and leaves, which can spread bacteria to healthy ones. To help your bouquet last longer, remove stems as they droop. "If you pull the dead stem, it's not allowed to pass bacteria onto other stems. This way, you can keep the whole thing rolling for a few weeks," Hilleary says. "If you take out things as they go, you'll be left with a few beautiful stems."

Find a New Location

If you've noticed that a vase of stems is starting to droop or wilt around the edges, it might be getting too much sun or heat, notes Hilleary. "A lot of people are under the misconception that flowers, once cut, behave the way a living plant would. That's just not the case," she says. "They're not photosynthesizing once they've been snipped. They're comparable to a vegetable or an herb at that point. Keep them away from the windowsill and direct sunlight, and close to the air conditioning in summer and away from the heater in winter."