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How to keep vase water fresh for your flowers
- Change the vase water daily or at least on alternate days, and add preservative (see Cut flower recipe, this page) or a sachet of florist food, which will also help the flowers take up more water.
- Strip the stems of any leaves which would sit below the waterline. This will prevent water contamination.

How to cut and preserve flower stems
- Cut 2-5cm off each stem end if flowers have been out of water for 30 minutes or more. Angle the cut to maximise water uptake and to prevent stems from resting flat on the vase bottom.
- Submerge stem ends in water and cut them with secateurs or a knife - ordinary household scissors will damage the stems and affect water uptake. If it is easier, cut the stems out of water but plunge the ends in lukewarm water immediately after they are cut.
- Clean flower vases and buckets with household bleach diluted with water. Add 1-2 teaspoons of 4-per-cent-bleach solution per 10 litres of water, or 4-8 teaspoons of 1-per-cent-bleach solution per 10 litres of water. Check the bleach container's label for its concentration.

Cut flower recipe
Make up an acidic solution per litre of water containing:
- 1/4 tsp bleach (4 per cent solution) or 1 tsp bleach (1 per cent solution)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp vinegar (or 3 pinches¨citric acid)

General tips for cut flowers
- Before arranging flowers, remove damaged leaves and blooms.
- Keep flowers out of direct sunlight and draughts, and away from heat.
- Do not display flowers near fruit or vegetables that are ripening - they emit the gas ethylene, which accelerates the ageing of flowers and causes buds to remain closed. And don't smoke near flowers.
- To open tight buds, fill your vase with warm water (30-40 degrees Celsius). Warm water moves faster up the stems than water that is at room temperature (or about 18 degrees Celsius). As a general rule, place the flowers in warm water for about 30 minutes only, as the buds can open quite quickly. Replace the warm water with lukewarm water.
- Despite what you may have heard, do not bash, burn or split the ends of woody-stemmed flowers. Rather than assist water uptake, these actions are more likely to damage the water-carrying vessels in the stem.