Ever receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers from a special someone? Flowers are a big part of courtship and romance and they always bring a smile to someone’s face. Unfortunately, receiving flowers is only half the story. Keeping those precious stems alive is a challenge in its own right. Our florists at Viet-flowers.com have these 5 tips to help you keep your cut flowers looking as good as they did when they first arrived.

Don’t place flowers in direct sunlight or near heat. This will hurt their lifespan, so keep them away from windows and vents.

Water the flowers from the bottom. Fill up the vase with water, then add the flowers, allowing them to soak up as much water as possible before you put them in the vase. This will help prevent mold from growing on leaves that are submerged in water.

Cut the stems at an angle before placing them in the vase to maximize access to water. When you cut off a stem, it creates a new opening for more water absorption!

Change the water every three days. If you’re going away for a few days but don’t want to leave your flowers behind, just change out half of their water each day—that way they won’t get too dry and die!

Remove any leaves that would be underwater, which can rot and lead to bacteria. Don’t put any leaves underwater unless they’re already dead (or at least dying).