I originally published this tip in October 2012. It continues to garner multiple views each week. I’m sharing it again in case you missed it.
Hat-Pin Trick
Hat-Pin Trick
Cut flowers, especially those with hollowed stems, often droop after a short time in water. Why? Because the stem is no longer siphoning water.
Simply insert a pin or needle all the way through the stem of a drooping flower, about one-inch below the bloom. Carefully remove the pin and return your flowers to a vase of water. Within an hour or two, your flowers should be standing tall. I’ve used this trick successfully over the years with Gerbera daisies, roses and tulips.
Gerbera Daisies Revived: The yellow flowers perked up; but the orange ones did not.
Rubber-band Recovery
If for some reason the hat-pin trick fails, here is plan B. Gather the flowers into a loose bunch and slide a rubber-band over the stems and up to the neck of the flowers. Wrap a second band around the bottom of the stems. Return to the vase, and enjoy your perky arrangement.
Rubber-band Recovery in Action
Edit your Collection
I don’t know about you, but I like to get as much “life” from my cut flowers as possible. Most mixed bouquet flowers have varying shelf-lives. Some blooms fade within a few days while others can last up to a week, maybe longer. Instead of dumping the entire bouquet, I change the water and return the flowers that still have life. As those fade, I’ll cut the healthy flowers down by a few inches and display them in a smaller vase. If I have nice greens, I’ll see what’s blooming in the garden and I’ll mix the two together. I make a game out of it to see how long the flowers will last.
Do you have any tips or tricks you’ve used to preserve the life of your cut flowers? Please share in the comments, below.
Gardening Nirvana 
I didn’t know about the pin trick. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t either Marlene – and I don’t understand how it works. But it is always good to have a few options! Now I want to pick some flowers and try it out 🙂
LikeLike
The cut flower droops because the stem can no longer draw in water. The pin hole allows air to escape, letting the water move up the stem.
LikeLike
Aha! It’s so obvious when someone who knows explains – thank you !
LikeLike
You’re welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
very convincing reply !!!
LikeLike
I edit my collection Alys 🙂 Your birthday bouquet lasted over a month, just getting smaller and smaller. It was an absolute joy! I’ve got a vase full of lavender and rosemary on the table and will try the pin trick on the lavender as it droops. Maybe the wrong kind of flower but we will see. Thank you for the tips xoxo
LikeLike
That makes me so happy, Pauline.
It’s fun editing flowers,isn’t it? Did the pin prick work on the lavender?
LikeLike
No it didn’t. Whether because it was too far gone or because there were so many little heads on the one stem – it is a different beast than a single stem flower.
LikeLike
That’s true. I’ll see if I can find any other tips on drooping flowers of that ilk.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The pin trick sounds very useful and I will try it next time I have droopy flowers – I often buy tulips in spring and sometimes they go over so quickly in the warm house. I also like to save whatever is still looking fresh and add a bit of greenery from the garden. I have heard that putting a teaspoon of sugar in the vase water helps, but I have no idea if this really works despite trying it myself!
LikeLike
Cathy that is a nice idea bringing in greenery to round out the arrangement. I just read a brief description on keeping cut tulips. Here is the link: http://www.800florals.com/care/tulips.asp
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
I’ve heard of adding sugar too. There is another comment, below with suggestions for adding something acidic as well. All interesting ideas. I guess the best thing to do would be to try the exact same flower in three different solutions, then record the results.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that pin trick is great, I never heard of it before.
I change the water in my flowers every couple of days. Also, I like to add some sugar to the water, I find that keeps them perky!
LikeLike
Thanks, CS. Adding sugar seems to be a popular idea. Sometimes I forget to change the water and it looks awful in there. That is definitely a good one.
LikeLike
The pin trick I knew about, but the rubber band was new to me, Thanks Alys. I love flowers and vases. I try to enjoy a bunch a smuch as possible
LikeLike
Thanks, Johanna. Me too!
LikeLike
aaargh, pressed send again to soon. Anyhue, Refreshing the water once a week and cutting a small piece of stems each time, keeps them going too a lot longer. And when half of the mixed bunch is still going, I just fill the vase up with a few nice branches from the garden. There…now I can press send;0)
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Nifty! I’m going to impress Emily with this trick when our current crop starts drooping.
LikeLike
Did you try it? Did it work? Was she impressed?
LikeLike
I learned the pin prick method from an elderly neighbour when I was a child and can certainly vouch for it!
LikeLike
Hurray! It’s tried and true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good tips Alys. At Corinthia Flowers, Adele adds a powder to the water to stop bacteria from growing, a florist usually sends some with your order in little packages. Ask for a couple so you can maintain your flowers longer. Also running a slow tap into the vase or arrangement to completely replace the water is good every other day. Out with the bad, in with the good. If it’s not arranged in a container in floral foam, a bundle of flowers can benefit by a fresh cut at the bottom of the stems. Besides cutting off the decaying part which causes bacteria in your vase, it can help them drink better too. Sometimes the greenery lasts much longer than the flowers. As they fade, I like to replace them with something new. Like if your roses in an arrangement pack it in, pull them out and replace with something else you love. Maybe Gerbs or tulips from the market. I’ve gathered these tips from Adele. She’s been in the biz for a while and so I figure she’s the expert.
Don’t be too shy to return to a florist with an arrangement that fades to quickly. A good florist will take care to always use the freshest flowers but also happy to replace the odd rose if it only lasted 2 days. 😀 hugs k
LikeLike
Wow, Boomdee, you and Adele are full of good tips. I’ve always been lucky with florist’s bouquets, but occasionally Mike brings home flowers from our local grocer and they fade quickly. I’ve often wondered if they were old flowers pushed to the front.
Out with the bad, in with the good. Check!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Had never heard of the pin trick! I just edited an arrangement this evening and as the remaining one start to droop, I’ll try the pin. Pretty cool!
LikeLike
Thanks, Laurie! I love having handy tricks like this on hand.
LikeLike
Well this is funny. I came by to check out your site and happen to have a dropping vase of flowers even as we speak. I’m grabbing a hat pin right now. What a great tip!
LikeLike
Serendipity! (That’s my word of the year too, by the way). Your flowers will be standing upright in no time. Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They look spectacular today. Truly thank you. It was lovely to come home to them tonight.
LikeLike
That makes me smile!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just came across this! Here’s another suggestion (it will sound weird, but it works): Fill a sink with warm (not hot) water. Take all of the flowers and submerge them completely – and re-cut the stems while they are submerged. I put a plate over the blooms to weight them down. Just leave them like that for an hour or longer. When you take them out, put them in a vase with water, a small amount of sugar and a small amount of something acidic – lemon juice, vinegar or even bleach (this replicates the stuff that florists use to provide nourishment and at the same time prevent bacteria/mold from growing). Your flowers will be as good as new and will last much longer. This works great on roses and most other flowers, but not all. You can google “homemade floral preservative” for the exact proportions of the water/sugar/bleach formula.
LikeLike
Pam, thanks for the advice. I’ve heard variations of what to add to the water over the years, but not the reasons behind it. Acidic water makes sense. I like the idea of submerging the flowers too. I’ve never thought of that either. Thanks so much for sharing these ideas.
LikeLike