City Line Florist wants you to enjoy those flowers for as long as possible, or for your floral recipient to do the same. There are a few basic things you can do to ensure that your bouquet or arrangement is long-lived, and it takes almost zero effort to do them. Read on for our best tips and tricks.

Let’s start with the obvious, the flowers themselves. Here’s So Good To Me:

With that name, it’s almost like they’re inviting you to take care of them, right? Well, they are. Depending on the type of flower species, life expectancy varies. Generally you’re looking at a solid 5-7 days.

When your flowers arrive in your home or in someone else’s, they’ve got water and preservative either added to the water or offered alongside in a packet for you to distribute. Flower food (preservative) is a crucial component to keeping your design fresh and long lived because it balances out the pH in the water and keeps bacteria at bay.

Bacteria is another concern. With roses, you’ll want to make sure that no leaves dip below the water line. Changing the water completely every other day or so is also a good idea, as is reopening up the seal at the end of the stem by cutting it at a 45-degree angle. It’s a good idea to invest in some floral shears, which are designed to cut the stem without doing any damage.

Keep your flowers away from vents and microwaves; anything that fluctuates the temperature isn’t a good idea. And with that, you have our top tips!