A beautiful bouquet of cut flowers can instantly bring a smile to your face, especially if they were beauties cut from your own garden. While the flowers will eventually wilt, there are ways to prolong their life so you can enjoy them longer. Careful cutting, thoughtful placement and repeated watering will all help prevent your flowers from wilting too soon.

Cutting

Cut your flowers from the garden early in the morning or in the evening. During these times of the day the flower holds more moisture. Before you arrange your cuttings, prepare the vase for the flowers. Make sure it is clean to prevent increased bacteria from growing. Fill the vase with water and a floral preservative, which contains an acid to stop bacteria from growing and a sugar substance to feed the flowers. Follow the specific instructions for your floral preservative. Lukewarm water works best for most flowers, but bulb flowers wilt slower with cool water. If you do not have a premade preservative, make your own preservative following the directions of Marion Owen, co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul." Mix three parts of water to one part of a lemon-lime soda. Add 1/4 tbsp. of bleach to the mixture. The bleach will need to be replaced every four days. Another easy option is to mix 2 oz. of Listerine with 1 gallon of water. Remove any leaves that would be submerged underwater in the arrangement. Leave any thorns though--without them, the flower's life will be shortened. Recut the stems prior to arranging. Place the stems underwater and cut at least 1 inch off at an angle. The slant gives the flower stem a larger surface to take in water. Cutting underwater prevents an air bubble from forming and blocking water to the flower, Owen says.

Display

After you have cut the flowers, transfer them to the vase of prepared water immediately. Place the arrangement in a draft-free, bright, cool spot as advised by Robert Black, Ph.D, a consumer horticultural specialist. The flowers will also last longer placed out of direct sunlight. The worst place to display the flowers is somewhere warm like on top of the television, according to Black. Make sure to replace the water every two days. "This is the single most effective thing you can do to keep your flowers looking fresh," according to Owen.

Source:

Plantea.com: How to Preserve Fresh Cut Flowers Naturally

GardenGazebo.com: Prolonging the Life of Cut Flowers

FlowerPossibilities.com: Ask Bridget