Easy Tips For Helping Cut Sunflowers Last Longer In A Vase

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) aren't just beautiful in the garden, they can also make stunning and long lasting cut flowers. With the right care they can easily last a week or two in a floral arrangement or vase. To ensure the maximum vase life possible, be sure to harvest your sunflowers when they are just beginning to open, recut the stems, and change the water every few days, and remember to make or add floral preservative to the water in the vase.

While you can use any type of sunflower to make a flower arrangement, traditionally single stemmed pollen-less varieties are used due to their stem length and lack of mess. If you aren't growing pollen-free sunflower varieties, then you may want to put a cloth or mat down under your vase to prevent pollen from getting all over your table or tablecloth. Regardless of the exact variety of sunflower you're growing though, one of the best ways to ensure a long vase life is to harvest your sunflowers just as they are starting to open. At this stage the ray flowers, which we usually think of as the petals, will be basically perpendicular to the central flower disc. Try to cut stems at an angle when harvesting and remove any unnecessary leaves from the lower stem, so they aren't submerged under the water.

Once you've harvested your sunflowers, it's important to get them into a vase of clean water as soon as possible to help the flowers stay hydrated. Avoid using softened water if possible as this tends to contain additional sodium which can harm the vase life of your flowers. You can also add in cut flower "food", either store bought (100 ct for $12 at Amazon) or homemade. Most homemade floral "foods" are a mix of lemon juice, sugar, and a small amount of bleach.

Be sure to change your flowers' water every few days. You can add more floral food at this time as well. Additionally, you should recut your flowers' stems each time you change the water. Regular water changes and trims should go a long way toward keeping your cut sunflowers fresh longer.