I buy flowers at the farmers market every Saturday. By Tuesday they were drooping. By Wednesday they were dead. I accepted this as the natural lifespan of cut flowers in summer — heat, humidity, the universe conspiring against beauty. Then the flower vendor told me I was killing them with tap water and dull scissors.

She told me five things to change. I changed them. My next bouquet lasted from Saturday to the following Friday. A full week in August. Here is what she said.

Cut Stems at an Angle — with Sharp Scissors

Dull scissors crush the stem instead of cutting it. A crushed stem cannot drink water. Use sharp kitchen shears or a sharp knife and cut at a forty five degree angle. The angled cut increases the surface area for water absorption and prevents the stem from sitting flat against the bottom of the vase where it seals itself shut.

Recut stems every two days. Every single time you change the water, give them a fresh half-inch cut. This clears any bacteria-clogged tissue at the bottom of the stem and keeps the water channels open.

Strip Leaves Below the Water Line

Any leaf touching the water will rot. Rotting leaves release bacteria. Bacteria clogs stems. Strip every leaf that would sit below the water surface. This is not optional. A clean vase with clean stems and no submerged leaves is the difference between flowers lasting three days and lasting a week.

Change the Water Every Other Day

Not just top it off. Dump it all. Rinse the vase. Refill with cool water — not cold, not warm. Bacteria builds up fast in summer heat. Cloudy water is bacteria soup. Your flowers are drinking that. Fresh water every forty eight hours keeps the stems clear.

Flower Food Actually Works

That little packet that comes with the bouquet is not a gimmick. It contains sugar (food), citric acid (lowers pH to improve water uptake), and a tiny amount of bleach (kills bacteria). If you lose the packet, make your own: one teaspoon sugar, one teaspoon white vinegar, a few drops of bleach in a quart of water. Do not skip the bleach — a few drops stops bacteria without hurting the flowers.

Keep Them Cool at Night

Summer heat accelerates everything. If your kitchen gets warm, move the vase to the coolest room in the house overnight. Even the basement floor. A few hours of cool temperatures extends vase life by days. Florists store flowers in coolers for a reason.

My Friday-before-they-died bouquet made it through the hottest week of the summer. The vendor noticed I came back later than usual and I told her it was because the flowers were still alive. She nodded like she knew all along.