TIP SHEET #2 HOW TO KEEP YOUR FLOWERS FRESHER LONGER Dorothea from Berkeley, Ca. asked how she could keep her roses fresher for a longer period of time. My answer to her applies to all fresh cut flowers.

Here's how: 1. Follow the instructions in TIP SHEET#1 to clean and condition your flowers. 2. Use clean vases of clean water. Flowers need water - lots of it. They are happier and will live longer designed and maintained in a vase of water rather than in floral foam. Choose a clean appropriate sized vase that allows the stems a deep well of water. Cut each stem and arrange in the vase using a commercial floral preservative. If you do not have preservative, plain water is better than any home remedies.

3. Recut stems and change water often. You can cut and rearrange your flowers every day to few days - whatever is your pleasure. I feel that recutting the stems and changing the water frequently is more important than using preservatives. However, preservatives serve us well because most often flowers are not cared for that way. Here are some things to consider... Your once appropriate sized vase may be too big once you cut the stems. Use a smaller vase and rearrange.

You may opt to separate your flowers into different groupings and move them into different rooms of your home as the stems get shorter and the vase gets smaller. Finally, when they are coming to the end of their lifecycle, cut the stems 1/2" from the blooms and float them in a bowl of water (maybe accompanied by some floating candles, stones, or marbles).

	I have often laid blooms and petals on a plate with some candles or in a bed of potpouri to let them dry naturally. 4. Weeks of pleasure. Using this process I have enjoyed all kinds of flowers - even roses - for two weeks or longer. -- Dottie Harrigan Whose Life Will You Touch With The Beauty And Wonder Of Flowers?