How to Keep Your Irises

Not too long ago I bought some irises trying to branch out from my usual summer time hydrangea obsession. I really did love the irises and I don't know why I haven't bought them more frequently! However, they died way quicker than a lot of the other flowers I would buy. So I did some research on how to keep them fresh longer! I found some good info that I wanted to share. A lot of these tips can be applied to all flowers, too!

bow top (not available in navy anymore)

1. 

Buy your irises with the blooms still closed. This goes for all flowers that you can buy this way. And if you have irises in your garden, unfortunately you should cut them before they've bloomed outside to keep them as long as possible inside. 

2. 

Another rule that applies to all flowers is to cut the stem at an angle. The bottom of the stem should not be flat after you've cut it. This allows for a larger surface area of the bottom of the stem to drink water. 

3. 

Remove all of the leaves from the stem of the flower if those leaves will be underwater. 

4. 

As soon as you see the water in your iris vase get a little foggy, immediately take the flowers out, clean the vase, re-trim the flowers about an inch or so shorter, and put back in the cleaned vase filled with fresh water. 

5. 

Irises should be kept in an area of the home with indirect sunlight and not too much heat. 

6. 

This tip is for all flowers. Add something acidic to the bottom of your vase. A penny (doesn't work as well as the other options), a small amount of bleach (too much will whiten the stem), lemon juice, or aspirin. These should help rid the water of bacteria and keep the flowers fresher for longer. 

If anyone else has tips to keeping flowers fresh indoors, let me know! I always keep fresh flowers in my house so I'm always looking for ways to make them last 😊

Thanks for reading!

  

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