Keeping flowers fresh

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and it makes cut flowers last longer. Other tips to keep a Valentine’s Day bouquet from wilting early:

• Wash the vase carefully to remove all traces of flowers that were in it before.

• Fill the vase with lukewarm water for most flowers, cold water for bulb flowers.

• Use any preservative as the label directs. Preservatives include sugars to feed the flower, biocides to discourage growth of bacteria and fungi and allow for easier water uptake, and an acidifier, which lowers the water’s pH. Make-it-yourself potions we’ve encountered include ingredients as diverse as pennies, aspirin, lemon-lime soda, vinegar, and mouthwash. More common: 1 teaspoon of bleach and 1 tablespoon of sugar stirred into 1 gallon of water.

• Remove any foliage that will be below the water line; it breeds bacteria.

• Holding each stem under water, use a sharp, nonserrated knife to cut about an inch off the end. Cut at an angle. A knife won’t crush stems as scissors can, underwater cutting prevents air from blocking water uptake, and an angle keeps stems from resting flat against the vase.

• Put the freshly cut flowers in a filled vase right away.

• Place the vase out of direct sunlight in a cool spot, away from vents, radiators, or appliances that get warm.

• Every other day, refill the vase, add preservative, recut the stems, and put them in the vase immediately.