Keep Your Valentine Roses Looking Fresh

Valentine's Day is almost upon us so most of you lucky ladies will receive some beautiful red roses on the day. I have some tips on how to extend the life (and your enjoyment) of your roses.

Hopefully your flowers will have been harvested less than 14 days ago; of course this depends on where you live, local supply, and transport issues. If your roses have been transported flat in boxes (not wet packed) you will only get half the shelf life of roses packed in water from the harvest stage.

When your

get your flowers home, take the following steps to extend their shelf life:

1. Cut a good inch off the stems and place in warm water for a while to get them drinking.

2. Add some sugar as a first aid remedy.

3. Clean a vase with bleach and hot water, tip out and half fill with cool water and 1 teaspoon of bleach. This will stop bacteria breeding in the water and infecting the stems of your roses.

4. Transfer roses into the vase.

5. Spray the heads with a mister often.

All flowers drink from the petals and leaves, even if the stems are deteriorating.

6. Change the water every third day and recut the stems. This will revive even droopy flowers.

Enjoy, and happy Valentine's Day!

About the author:

Gerry Belvedere runs a rose farm and online florist service at www.rosaflora-flowers.com. Rosaflora delivers flowers Australia wide and overseas and offers tips on getting the most out of your cut flowers.

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