Flower senescence involves an ordered set of coordinated and tightly regulated developmental events which bear the hallmark of programmed cell death. Flowers are ideal for senescence studies as the tissue is relatively homogenous and chemical manipulation can be applied without substantial wounding. The onset of flower senescence is triggered by a number of factors which initiate a series of physiological events, orchestrated by plant growth regulators. Ethylene is a clear regulator of petal senescence in some species (ethylene sensitive) while as in others (ethylene insensitive) it has little or no role to play. In ethylene insensitive flowers, abscisic acid has been shown as being the key factor regulating flower senescence. The turnover of various hormones in different flower parts may activate degeneration processes that lead the flower to wilting or death. In some species petals wilt prior to abscission and as such efficient remobilization of nutrients takes place while as in others the petals abscise when they are still turgid without complete nutrient recycling. Based on this diversity of mechanisms employed in initiation and execution of flower senescence in various flower systems, a strong need is felt to identify suitable model systems to study petal senescence in various groups of flowers. A shift from identifying good models to ornamentals is in vogue for understanding flower senescence in ornamentals which will provide biochemical and molecular insights for extending their vase life using modern biotechnological approaches.