The short answer: give cut roses a deep drink as soon as they arrive, trim the stems at an angle with a sharp blade, and keep them in clean water in a cool spot. If a rose head droops, it usually means air is blocking the stem, and a fresh cut under water will often bring it back. Roses are thirsty flowers with a few habits of their own, so a little rose-specific care goes a long way.
Our guide on how to keep a bouquet fresh longer covers the basics for any cut flower. This one is just about roses: what makes them different, what to do when something goes wrong, and how to enjoy them as they open.
What makes roses different
A rose has a long, woody stem and a large head full of petals. All the water that head needs has to travel up that stem, through narrow channels that block easily. That explains most of what goes wrong with cut roses. When the water stops reaching the top, the neck just below the bloom is the first part to weaken, and the head starts to bend.
Roses are also picked while the bud is still fairly tight, so a rose you receive has most of its display ahead of it. For a sense of how they compare with other flowers, see our guide on how long cut flowers last.
The first hour with your roses
- Take off the wrapping. Remove the paper or cellophane and any ties, unless the roses are a hand-tied bouquet you plan to keep together.
- Strip the lower leaves. Take off any leaf that would sit under the water. Keep the leaves higher up, because they help draw water up the stem.
- Deal with thorns carefully. Remove only the thorns you need to, to handle the stems safely. Scraping the stem with a knife or stripper can damage it and make it harder for the rose to drink.
- Trim the stems. Cut about 2 cm off each stem at an angle with a sharp knife or sharp scissors, then move it straight into water. Blunt kitchen scissors tend to crush a rose stem.
- Use a tall vase. A rose stem needs support along its length. A tall, clean vase filled most of the way up holds the blooms upright and gives them plenty to drink. Mix in flower food if a packet came with your roses.
Why a rose droops, and how to revive it
This is the most common rose problem. The head nods over on its neck, often while the rest of the bouquet looks perfectly fine. It is called bent neck, and it happens when an air bubble or bacteria stops water from reaching the bloom. It does not always mean the rose is finished.
Try this as soon as you see it:
- Hold the stem under running water or in a bowl of water and cut about 2 cm from the end, so no new air gets in.
- Fill a sink or a long, deep tray with cool water and lay the whole rose in it, stem and head, for 30 minutes or so.
- Put it back in a clean vase with fresh water, and keep it somewhere cool for a few hours.
If the head firms up, the rose has recovered. If it does not, take that stem out so it does not cloud the water for the others. Rewrapping a drooping bunch snugly in paper while it drinks can also help hold the heads straight as they recover.
Helping roses open
Tight buds are a good sign, not a fault. Most roses open over the next few days, and warmth and light speed that up. If you want them fully open for a dinner or a party, move the vase to a warmer room a day or two ahead. If you want to slow them down, keep them in the coolest room you have and move them away from bright windows at night.
The soft outer petals on a rose, sometimes a little marked or ruffled, are called guard petals. They protect the bud as it grows, and florists often leave them in place. If they look tired, gently pull them away at the base. The cleaner petals underneath will look fresher, and the bloom will not suffer.
Do colours behave differently?
A little, though variety matters more than colour. Deep reds can darken at the edges of the petals as they age, which is a natural part of how the flower ages and not a sign of poor care. Pale pinks and whites show marks more easily, so you may want to remove a guard petal or two sooner. Whatever the colour, the same care applies. You can see our red flowers and pink flowers if you are choosing a shade.
Common rose questions
- Should I add sugar, soda or aspirin to the water? Skip them. Sugar without the right balance feeds bacteria as well as the flower, and bacteria are what block the stems. Flower food is made for the job. If you have none, clean water changed often is the next best thing.
- Why is my water cloudy after a day or two? Roses often have more leaves and stems in the vase than other flowers, so there is more to break down. Check that no leaves sit under the water, rinse the vase and refill it.
- How often should I trim them? Every two or three days, when you change the water, is a good habit for roses.
- Can I keep roses in the fridge overnight? A cool room is simpler and safer. A home fridge is often too cold in places, and it may hold ripening fruit, which gives off a gas that makes flowers age faster.
- Can I dry them? Yes. When a rose is fully open but before its petals drop, tie the stem and hang it upside down in a dry, dark, airy spot for a week or two. Roses from a special occasion often become a keepsake this way.
Choosing roses to send
Roses suit almost any occasion, from an anniversary to a thank you, and the colour does a lot of the talking. Browse all our roses for bouquets, boxed roses and long stem designs. Every order is hand-arranged in our Mississauga studio and includes a free handwritten card, and delivery is free on orders over $50. If you have a question about roses you received from us, call our studio at 905-677-9999 and our florists will be happy to help.