Keeping your roses fresher, longer ...
Thanks to Cactus Flowers

Why roses are so special? Perhaps it started with the Romans who believed white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis. Myth also has it that Venus' son Cupid accidentally shot arrows into the rose garden when a bee stung him, and it was the "sting" of the arrows that caused the roses to grow thorns. And when Venus walked through the garden and pricked her foot on a thorn, it was the droplets of her blood which turned the roses red

Myth aside, roses have held a special place in our hearts since the beginning of time. Cleopatra carpeted her room with rose petals and ladies have used the oil from the rose as a perfume for centuries.

How do you care for your roses when your receive them depends on how they arrive.

If your roses arrived wrapped in cellophane

• Remove any water tubes!!
• Fill a clean vase with lukewarm water and add the "flower food"
• Remove any foliage on the roses that would fall below the water line
• Cut the stem of each rose with a sharp knife or pruning shears
• Place the rose in the vase of water

If your roses arrive in a vase

• Add water immediately
• It is important that the water line never falls below the stems, so keep adding water
• Keep your bouquet in a cool place away from direct sunlight

If the water line does fall below the stems

Remove the affected roses

• Add water to the vase
• Re-cut the stem of each rose with a sharp knife or pruning shears
• Place the rose back in the vase

Keeping the water in your vase clean is the most important thing you can do to prolong the life or your roses or any other flower. We all need lots of clean water and your flowers are no exception.

How to preserve your special flowers

To preserve your roses you must take them out of the vase at their peak. Don't wait for the flower to whither.

Remove the flowers from the vase and tie the stems together with string and hang them upside down in a dry place. Once the flowers are completely dried you can use the petals to create works of art or use the entire rose to create a new arrangement.

Many flowers can be preserved by "pressing." These flowers include freesia, delphinium, hydrangea and larkspur. You can use a flower press or just press the flowers between the pages of a book.

Baby's breath, yarrow and hydrangea do well air drying. Just remove from the water from the vase and let the flower dry naturally.

We love to answer your questions about the care of your roses and cut flowers. You can contact us www.cactusflower.com or at info@cactusflower.com