Her face lit up at the sight of the beautiful roses you gave
her for Valentine’s Day.
But how’s she going to make them last?

University of Georgia
extension horticulturist Paul Thomas said it’s
not hard to keep your
roses looking great.

“Clean water and vases are important to prolonging the life
of cut flowers,”
he said. “Wash vases often, because microorganisms remaining in
unclean vases
multiply quickly.”

Thomas said changing cut-flower solutions once a day and
cutting one-fourth of an inch
off the stems in a bowl of water prevents molds and fungi from
clogging up the stem.

“It’s important to use sharp scissors,” he said. “Blunt ones
will clog
up the stem even more.”

Treating the water in the vase can prolong your arrangement’s
freshness. “Add four
or five tablespoons of sugar per gallon of water, or add floral
preservatives available
from your florist,” he said. “Use preservatives according to the
instructions.
Too high a concentration may be harmful to the flowers.”

Preventing the flowers from drying out is important, too.

“Flowers retain a fresh appearance much longer when the air
humidity is relatively
high,” he said. “If they’re kept in a room with dry air, they
should be misted
with water once a day or every other day. Putting the
arrangement in the refrigerator at
night will prolong its life, too, if the fridge contains 10
percent to 15 percent
humidity.”

Thomas said keeping the flowers out of direct sunlight or
drafts of warm or cold air
keeps them from being dried out.

UGA extension horticulturist Gary Wade said
sagging roses can be perked up.

“When cut roses begin to droop or wilt, submerge the entire
flower into a flat pan
of warm water,” he said. “Gently straighten the heads and cut
off the stems,
while under water, two inches from the ends. Allow the roses to
stay two hours in the
water to revive.”

Once a flower dies, however, it’s best to remove it from the
bunch.

“Dead flowers produce ethylene that kills other flowers
rapidly,” Thomas
said. “Also, remove unnecessary foliage below the water level,
because it decays
easily.”

Wade said some of the quality and freshness of roses may be
lost in their
transportation.

“Roses sold in Georgia are imported from South America,” he
said. “The
Georgia climate is too hot, and the heat makes for a high
incidence of disease.”