The fruit bowl may be a bouquet's quietest enemy. Ripening fruit releases ethylene, a gaseous plant hormone that can hasten senescence, or aging, in susceptible cut flowers even when their vase water is clean. The damage travels through the air. A fresh rinse cannot remove the gas surrounding the petals.
Distance is the simplest defense. Apples, bananas, and other ripening fruit can release ethylene as they mature; some flowers, including carnations, are particularly sensitive, while others respond less noticeably. Exposure may cause petals to wilt or drop and buds to age before they open. The effect depends on the flower and the amount of gas in the surrounding air, so a mixed bouquet may not fade all at once. Move the vase away from the fruit bowl, rather than relying on a lid of water as protection.
Clean water still earns its place in the routine. Bacteria can multiply in a dirty vase and obstruct the xylem, the tissue that carries water up a stem, leaving flowers thirsty even while their ends are submerged. Wash the vase, replace the water regularly, and trim stems with clean shears; remove leaves that would sit below the waterline. Keep the arrangement cool and out of direct sun, away from heat sources and ripening produce. On a table apart, the bouquet has a little more time to hold its shape.
