Can I put flowers in the fridge?

• Written by Holly Hughes on December 20, 2021

Is there anything more delectable than the gift – either to yourself or from others – of freshly cut flowers? Whether you’ve received a luscious bouquet from SendFlowers, treated yourself with an arrangement from FromYouFlowers, or else are enjoying the monthly floral gift of a subscription to BloomsyBox, we all know the feeling of wanting to keep a truly sumptuous bouquet alive forever.

Of the many questions our plant lovers ask, the most common ones are how to preserve beautifully cut flowers so that they last – crisp and robust – for longer.

Can I store flowers in the fridge? Do flowers actually last longer in the fridge? And if so, how can I refrigerate flowers properly? Well, wonder no more! 

In this article, we’re going to talk you through how to keep flowers fresh in the refrigerator so you can get the most from your blooms. We’ll be covering some of the questions we get asked most often, including:

• Can I put flowers in the fridge?
• Does putting flowers in the fridge preserve them?
• How long can flowers last in the fridge?
• Can you use a regular refrigerator for flowers?
• What is the best way to refrigerate flowers?
• Can you put flowers in the freezer?

To find out the best way to store cut flowers in the refrigerator, keep reading!

Can I put flowers in the fridge?

First things first: can you refrigerate bouquets in the first place? According to 1800 Flowers, one of the leading flower delivery specialists, storing cut flowers in the refrigerator is an effective way to keep your bouquet strong, healthy, and robust.

Hot summer days – as glorious as they are – can really impact your fresh-cut flora. Soaring temperatures and burning sun can cause your blooms to wilt before their time and transform a perky, petal-bursting bouquet into a floppy and flat affair.

Just as florists – forever sanctuaries of cool, scented air! – store their plants in refrigerators, you too can put your bouquet in your fridge overnight to keep it fresher for longer.

Does putting flowers in the fridge preserve them?

But does this actually preserve them? Yes, if stored correctly, refrigerating blossoms is one of the most effective ways to extend their life. 

One experiment demonstrated this by comparing refrigeration with other methods of bouquet preservation such as adding vinegar and sugar to vase water, soaking your stems in Sprite, or even lowering the pH of water with aspirin.

In this experiment, keeping flowers in the fridge was far and away one of the most effective ways to preserve them, keeping them in near-perfect condition after a whole week of use.

How long can flowers last in the fridge?

Fresh blossoms are best kept in the fridge overnight or between six and eight hours a day. This is considered to be the optimum time to rejuvenate and preserve your blooms as it allows enough time for them to absorb the water and thus remain fresh.

Can you use a regular refrigerator for storing flowers?

While regular refrigerators are not the most ideal places to preserve cut flowers as they are not as cold or spacious as a professional florists’ fridge, you can make some simple changes to get the most from your fridge.

Of course, the length of time plants can last in a fridge and even the efficacy of refrigerating cut blooms entirely depends on how you store them. If you don’t follow the correct steps, you will find that you will not only fail to preserve a bouquet for longer but will actually cause it to wilt faster.

So with this in mind, let’s look at the best way to store our blossoms in a regular refrigerator to truly get the most from them.

What is the best way to refrigerate flowers?

Firstly, ensure your fridge is set to no more than 40°F. Florists’ fridges are generally kept at temperatures between 33° to 40°F so you want to make sure your fridge is as cold as possible.

Following this, put your chosen flowers in a clean vase and fill it about three quarters full of cold water. The next (and arguably most important) step is to make sure you remove any fruit from your fridge.

This is because fruits emit ethylene gases that actively decay plants and shorten their lifespan. This should also help to create space for your vase as it’s important to ensure the blossoms have enough room to stand tall.

Once this is done you can now place your vase in a secure, spacious spot in the fridge and leave until morning, when you will have crisp and perky blooms waiting to welcome you!

Can you put flowers in the freezer?

You would think that the colder the temperature the better – this is certainly true of our regular refrigerators which we need to ensure are as cold as possible in order to effectively preserve our flowers. However, this is not the case when it comes to freezers!

In short, unless you are freeze-drying your blooms, you cannot put flowers into a freezer. It is simply too cold!

You see, plants are full of water, which will freeze when placed in a regular freezer. This isn’t a problem as long as they remain frozen. However, when you want to take out these blooms to once again admire them, you will notice that their thawing completely damages the plant.

Therefore, it is best to stick to refrigerating your flowers at night and leaving freezer space solely for the ice-cream needed on those hot summer days!

There you have it! You can keep your freshly cut plants from the garden or birthday bouquet alive and radiant by storing them in your regular fridge. So go on, treat yourself to the perfect bouquet with one of our flower delivery specialists – you deserve it!