No, we didn’t write the book on floral care, but you can bet we here at Central Square Florist have read it. We want you to enjoy your floral design for as long as possible, and to that end, we’re sharing our best tips to extend the life of your flowers.

• Change that water out! If your container is looking a little-less than, it’s a good idea to go ahead and wash it out too before refilling. Don’t forget to rinse carefully.
• Speaking of water, make sure you’re using flower food to maintain the health of your arrangement. Flower food is essentially composed of acid, bleach and sugar, three things that help keep bacteria from forming and the pH level of the water in balance.
• Yes, it is a good idea to snip the tips of your stems every now and again. Cut with shears at a 45-degree angle to open the seal and let the flowers heartily consume water again.
• If any leaves fall below the water line, remove them. And if any leaves (or petals) look a little wilted and it won’t damage the rest of the floral design, remove those as well.

Follow these tips to the letter and you can be sure you’ll be doing all you can for your little flower child.