Preserving Flowers in Vases

Tips for Preserving Flowers in vases are:

• To preserve the freshness of cut flowers such as roses, burn the ends of the stalks before arranging them in a Vases.

• Just before your guest arrive for dinner, sprinkle a little water on a rose bouquet and blow dry air over the bouquet for 8-10 minutes. The room will be as fragrant as a garden when your guests arrive.

• Flowers remain fresher, if crushed coconut is added to the water in the flower vase.

• If flowers look droopy when you get them home, revive them by wrapping them completely in a wet newspaper and standing them in a bucket of water overnight.

• When making flower arrangements with rosebuds, remember that the blooms do not open all at the same time. To remedy this, cut the roses at bud stage and keep them in a refrigerator. Leave the buds in the fridge until you have enough for an arrangement, so that all the buds will open at about the same time when you take them out from the fridge.

• The thick stem of a flower should be slightly slit at the end before placing it in a vase containing water. this will help better absorption of moisture.Carnations last longer if placed in water containing a little boric acid.

• Powdered aspirin, copper coins and ice cubes lengthen the lives of freshly cut flowers. The best tonic, however, is two tablespoons each of white vinegar and cane sugar in a quart of water. Vinegar eliminates organisms and sugar is food.