by Kat Apf

Created on: March 08, 2013   Last Updated: May 19, 2013

Fresh flowers can change the look and feel of a room. They can brighten the dinner table, warm up a bedroom or bring together a boring hallway.  Because fresh flowers can be very expensive, you want to buy ones that will last.

It's a good idea, no matter what flowers you buy, to do a little maintenance before you put them in a vase.  Clipping a small part of the stem off first is important.  This will open up the stem's veins so the water can get to the blooms.  Changing the water daily is also an important factor in keeping your flowers beautiful for a longer time. 

If you love roses, spray roses or sweetheart roses are much heartier than a regular rose.  Normal roses are fickle.  Room temperature, the type of water and  even being in indirect sunlight can cause roses to wilt very quickly.  Spray roses, on the other hand, do much better in many circumstances and can last quite a few days.

Carnations will last longer than most flowers.  They wide range of color choices are a bonus, too.  There are usually a lot of blooms in a carnation bouquet so be sure to check it over thoroughly before plunking down your hard-earned cash.  If you allow the carnations to open naturally, they'll last longer, too.  Some people pull carnation buds open so you can see the blooms faster but this will only make them wilt sooner. 

Oriental lilies are beautiful and they can last for over week with proper care. Lilies have a gorgeous look and they smell just great.  They also "go with" many other flowers.  What's wonderful about that is, if you choose to use more than one type of flower in an arrangements with lilies, you can discard the other flowers and still have the arrangement with only the lilies in it. 

Alstromeria is another colorful, all-purpose flower.  They can last quite a few days with proper care and because you have so many choices of colors, they can enhance any room. 

With a little care you can keep fresh flowers going longer than you'd expect.  Just change that water daily and you can even trip the stems daily which helps with the longevity.  Also, be sure to add the flower "food" that comes with most bouquets as it really does help keep the flowers looking good.

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