Key to Long Lasting Roses

I got these lovely shabby pink roses at the market this morning (closing half price special of $3.25).

While I often find there isn't much fragrance in the roses you buy in the shops but these have that evocative rose garden smell.

I follow a few easy steps to make my roses last as long as possible.

Step One - Start with a clean vase and clean water
Step Two - Change the water every 3 days
Step Three - Recut 1 inch from stems each time you change the water
Step Four - Add flower food each time you change the water
Step Five - Keep the roses in a cool place

Other Tips
- Ideally clean the vase with anti-bacterial soap or bleach
- Use the cleanest possible water you have available (distilled or rain water is the best)
- Remove any leaves that will be under the water

Why Clean and Change
Roses have tiny tubes to suck up the water and they will plug. This is why the vase and
water should be sterile to start with and the roses should be recut each time to reopen the tubes.