If you’ve received or have considered giving the gift of preserved flowers, you may be wondering how to best care for them to keep them beautiful and vibrant for as long as possible. In our last blog, we discussed that with proper care, preserved floral arrangements will keep for at least a year, and up to three years. Unlike their live counterparts, preserved flowers do not require lots of time or attention to maintain, but knowing some basic facts about what helps them thrive can help with proper planning. Here are some tips to caring for preserved flowers to help optimize their condition for as long as possible:

DO

Keep your preserved arrangement in their original packaging - After receiving your special arrangement, be sure to keep them in their original packaging. Attempting to remove the roses will destroy them. Paper boxes display the top of the rose heads, so an occasional dusting will do the trick. The acrylic boxes will protect your preserved arrangement from drafts, dust, and other disturbances that may otherwise adversely affect it. Simply wipe the acrylic boxes of dust; there is no need to tamper with the roses displayed inside.

Lightly dust your flowers - occasionally. If you plan to leave your preserved flowers in the open, to keep the appearance of your preserved roses bright, you will want to lightly brush for dust every so often. Take care to be very gentle so as not to disturb the petals too much. As they age they will become more fragile.

DO NOT 

Put your preserved roses in direct sunlight - It’s probably your instinct to identify a location for your indoor flowers that give them plenty of access to sunlight. For preserved flowers, however, you should do just the opposite. Sunlight will expedite the drying process and can discolor your flower petals. Choosing locations away from windows is ideal.

Keep your floral art in an area of high humidity - for best results, preserved roses should be kept at low humidity and slightly below room temperature. Excessive humidity can take months off of the expected lifespan of your preserved flowers.

Get water near your flowers - while our liquid preservative helps to keep the appearance of our roses bright and colorful, the flower is still made of non-living organic material. Exposure to water should be completely avoided as it will damage the petals and stems of preserved roses.

While giving the gift of preserved flowers is in many ways more practical than giving traditional living flowers in terms of care regimens, the recipient still must take proper care to ensure the preserved arrangement can be appreciated as long as possible. You can learn more about our preservation process and what to expect of the life of your preserved arrangement here . Can’t get enough of preserved roses? Shop our full collection here or customize an order here.