Flowers have the amazing ability to fill a room with a sweet smell, beauty, and a lively energy. So it’s natural that we’ll want to make our freshly cut flowers last as long as possible while looking gorgeous in the process.

We’ve compiled the best tips for keeping your flowers fresh, as well as creative ideas for arranging them, that are so effective your house will look like a florist shop in no time.

Tips Keeping Flowers Fresh and Making Them Last Longer

1.) Keep Them Cold

Place your cut flower arrangement inside the refrigerator and store them overnight or when they aren’t on display to make them last a lot longer. This is why florists have flowers in those refrigerated cases.

2.) Hairspray

Spritzing your flowers with hairspray will help them to last longer and stay in place.

3.) Cut Your Stems Right

Your stems should be cut at a 45-degree angle and one inch from the bottom to increase the surface area where your flower sucks in water. This will ensure that your flowers stay well hydrated.

4.) Open Closed Buds

Place your flowers in a glass with warm water for one minute, then place them in a vase of cold water for 20 minutes. This will open up your flower buds.

5.) Vinegar Concoction

Mix 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar inside a vase with water, then add your flowers. It will increase the longevity of your plants as long as you change the water every few days.

6.) Vodka Concoction

Place a few drops of vodka and a teaspoon of white sugar into your vase water before dropping your flowers in. This will delay wilting in your flowers. When they start to droop you can add a shot of vodka to the water and they’ll stand up straight for least another day or two.

7.) A Penny in Your Water

Drop a penny into your vase water to give your flowers extra shelf life. The copper works as an acidifier that prevents fungus and bacteria growth. Pennies made before 1982 have more copper in them and are more effective.

Ways to Beautifully Arrange Your Flowers

1.) Make a Grid

To keep your flowers in place use clear water-resistant tape to make a grid over the top of your vase. Place your flowers in between the piece of tape. This works great with shallow vases

2.) Start With the Greens

Not sure where to start when it comes to decoratively arranging flowers? Start by separating your flowers from the greens and start placing your greens first. Push the fuller flowers at an angle because they’ll take up lots of the space. Use medium-size flowers to fill the rest of your holes up. The smaller flowers will serve as your accent flowers to break up your arrangement.

3.) Color Block

Group your flowers in blocks of color for a simple way to make a chic arrangement.

4.) Dress It Up

You can instantly make your bouquet or vase look fancier by wrapping twine, ribbon, or lace on it.

5.) Use Every Last Flower

Once the flowers in your arrangement start dying off, you can salvage the rest by cutting them short and displaying them in a tea cup with water instead of in a large vase.

6.) Natural Vases

Use a pumpkin, gourd, apple or a cantaloupe to display your flowers during the proper season.

7.) Unisex or Neutral Arrangements

If you’re going for a more masculine or unisex look, try using darker and neutral colored flowers in your arrangement. These will transcend gender and go well with a home decorated in neutral colors.

8.) Ombre Your Bouquet

Use similar colored flowers and arrange them from light to dark.

9.) Rainbow

Separate flowers by color and arrangement in ROYGBIV order.