Gardening Ideas Houseplants The Age Of Your Penny Matters In Keeping Your Flowers Alive Turns out this old wives' tale is true! By Betsy Cribb Watson Betsy Cribb Watson Betsy is the Senior Home and Features Editor at Southern Living. She writes about a veritable potpourri of topics for print and digital, from profiling Southern movers-and-shakers and celebrating family traditions to highlighting newsy restaurant openings and curating the annual holiday gift guide. Prior to joining the Southern Living team in 2017 as the style editor, she worked at Coastal Living as an assistant editor covering pets and homes. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on February 8, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article How To Make Flowers Last Longer Why Do Pennies Make Flowers Last Longer? Does The Age of the Penny Matter? Close An ombré arrangement is easy to create. Place a dampened block of florist foam into a vessel. Then, working in groups of three, insert white garden roses into one side of the florist foam. Next, place light pink roses and ranunculusin the center. On the remaining side, add deep pink peonies. Fill in any gaps with greenery. Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Tricks for making flowers stay fresh and look good are a dime a dozen. Whatever wives' tale you've fallen back on to keep your blooms looking fresh-cut and lively, the aim of all of them is the same: to keep the bacteria, yeasts, and fungi that suck the life right out of your flowers from growing in their water. Some say a little shot of vodka will get the job done; others argue that aspirin is the answer. Bleach, apple cider vinegar, and even hairspray have also been touted as flower-savers. How To Make Flowers Last Longer But the cheapest way to keep your Easter flower arrangement, fresh-from-the-garden blossoms, or Mother's Day bouquet looking fresh? Dropping a copper penny into the vase. Robbie Caponetto; Produced: Kathleen Varner Why Do Pennies Make Flowers Last Longer? The reason pennies are considered a smart way to keep flowers alive longer is because copper is a fungicide, so it naturally kills off those pesky bacteria and fungi that are trying to camp out in your flowers' vase and shorten the life span of your stems. But before you empty out your piggy bank, take note: When it comes to their flower power, not all pennies are created equal. Robbie Caponetto; Produced: Kathleen Varner Does The Age of the Penny Matter? Pennies minted before 1982 were made of 95% copper, while the pennies we use now—those made after 1982—are made of 97.5% zinc and are given only a thin copper coating. See where this is going? It follows, then, that the pennies made mostly of copper are better at killing off the fungi and keeping flowers looking fresh longer than the mostly-zinc coins that have just a little copper in their composition. So there you have it! Spend your new pennies, and save the old ones for preserving your blooms. WATCH: This Common Pantry Item Can Make Fresh Flowers Last Longer Do you have any tricks for making fresh-cut stems stay alive longer? Share them with us in the comments. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit