Choose simply
A single variety avoids the arithmetic of mixed bouquets: different stems drink differently and fade at different speeds. Ask what came in that morning, and take the bunch with straight stems and unbruised petals.
At home, recut each stem under running water and strip the leaves that would sit below the waterline. A washed jam jar supports short stems better than a deep vase, and ordinary tap water changed every second day keeps them honest.
Place them where you pause
Flowers reward the place you actually stand: beside the kettle, on the bathroom shelf, near the yoga mat. Their value is in the pause they mark, not the table they decorate.
Keep them out of direct sun and away from the fruit bowl, whose ripening warmth shortens their days. When a stem fades, pull it promptly so the rest of the jar keeps its clarity.
Published by the Fiorlume journal.