Make Cut Flowers Last Longer

• When you cut flowers from your garden and put them in a vase there are a few things that you can do to make them last longer. Woody stems should have their ends crushed to help increase their intake of water, add a tablespoon of sugar to a litre of water for daisies, asters, chrysanthemums, petunias, carnations & sweet peas and finally hydrangeas will keep fresh for a week if you split the stems 1cm at the base & add a spoonful of powdered alum to the water.
• In order to make sure that your cut flowers from your garden keep longer ensure that they are cut with a sharp, un-serrated knife and then put immediately into water. Always make that you cut on a slant so that more of the stem's surface area is exposed to water and remove any leaves that will be under water.
• When you cut roses for a flower arrangement do not remove the thorns from the roses as it will shorten their life.
• The best time to cut garden flowers is either in the early morning or late in the afternoon after the temperature has cooled down.
• To make cut flowers last longer you should put them into plain, lukewarm water, however you should always use cold water for bulb flowers such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths.
• The most important thing that you can do when making cut garden flowers last longer is to change the water every day and do not simply just top up the existing water in the vase.
• Always keep cut flowers out of direct sunlight so that they last longer before wilting.
• Always give daffodils their own vase as the daffodil stems gives off a toxic chemical that will poison other flowers that are in the same vase.
• Do not place a vase of flowers near a fruit bowl that contains apples because they release a gas that causes the flowers to wilt and die much more quickly.
• If you are vigilent and remove any dead or dying flowers as soon as it appears it will help to prolong the life of your cut flower arrangement.