Peony season has come and gone . . . . way to quickly I might add. These flowers are just fantastic.

They look fantastic, they smell fantastic, everything about them is just fantastic. Except maybe for the fact that they only bloom for about 2 weeks. 

Boy, oh boy are they good while they last though. I've added some new varieties this year and now I will very impatiently wait (2-3 years, Oy vey) for them to have good strong blooms. I can't wait!

Before I started growing my own cut flowers I really did not have a clue about how long flowers should last, what I could do to extend their vase life or what it was that I was doing to shorten the vase life of the flowers. They just lasted as long as they lasted and that was that. Fast forward several years and I now know that there is a lot I can do to help my flowers last as long as possible. Below are some tips and tricks to help you keep your flowers looking great longer.
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1.Good start - Get a good start by making sure the vase or container you put your flowers in is clean and free of bacteria. Wash them thoroughly with hot soapy water.
2. Water - flowers like nice clean water and they like it refreshed often.  To help your flowers drink up this water trim 1/2- 1 inch off the stem each time you change the water. 
3. Light/Heat - keep flowers away from heat and very bright lights. While many flowers tolerate heat well outside when on the plant that is not the case once they are cut.
4. Produce - Flowers do not like to reside next to many fruits or veggies, ESPECIALLY banannas and apples. Produce puts off ethylene  and will cause your flowers to drop their petals quickly. 

Some cut flowers no matter how great they are cared for naturally have a shorter vase life but good care will help ensure their maximum vase life.