10 tips for cut flower fun

1. Allow newly-bought flowers, still in their wrappings, to drink clean, fresh water for a while.

    

2. Make sure the flowers are put into a clean vase.

    

3. You will enjoy your flowers longer if you feed them cut-flower food. Make sure you give them the right amount.

    

4. Before arranging the flowers in a vase, first cut off one inch from the bottom of each stem.

    

5. Stems should never be broken off or flattened — not even woody stems. Scraping off the bark is also a fallacy.

    

6. Leaves should never be covered by water. They will only make the water dirty and will shorten the lives of the flowers.

    

7. Do not forget to top up the vase regularly with clean, fresh water.

    

8. During the night, flowers will benefit from a lower thermostat setting.

    

9. Flowers can not stand direct sunlight and drafts.

    

10. Daffodils can be deadly to other flowers because they secrete a poison in the water. After trimming, leave daffodils on their own for a whole day. Do not cut them again when combining with other flowers.

In the centre, a firm leaf can serve as a transition between flowers and the vase or bowl. Now, add some smaller leaves to soften the straight lines and the arrangement is complete.