Extending the Life of Cut Roses

June is National Rose Month. Be sure to celebrate by enjoying a few cut roses fresh from your garden.

Take a bucket of water into the garden when harvesting cut flowers to keep them fresh. Cut roses early in the morning just as the top bud is starting to open. Make the cut on a slight angle just above an outward facing 5-leaflet leaf. This will leave the plant looking good and direct new growth away from the center of the bush.

Make a less severe cut, back to a 3-leaflet leaf on younger plants that may not tolerate this amount of pruning.

Remove the lower leaves and recut the stem to the proper length on a slight angle. This prevents the stem from sitting square on the bottom of the vase, impeding the uptake of water.

Add floral preservative and keep the clean vase filled with water to get the most out of your cut flowers.

Perk up droopy roses by submerging them, stem and all, in warm water for 30 minutes.

A bit more information: This is on my list to try this year. I read you can preserve rose blooms in damp sand for your off-season enjoyment. Place freshly cut roses standing on end on a bed of damp sand in a plastic container. Surround and cover the roses with damp sand and store in a cool dark location. Remove as needed. Let me know how this works for you and I will do the same.