Get the freshest flowers that you can and handle them with care. Some blooms blemish easily. Putting the flowers into a hot car can cause your beautiful blooms to wilt. The answer? Aircon. And take flowers directly from the florist to where you want them; leaving them in the car while you do the shopping spells disaster.

When you get the blooms home grab a bucket of water. Now cut the stems at a 45 degree angle while they are under water. This way you will prevent air from attacking the freshly cut stem. Also, remove any leaves that will be under the final water level in the vase. You can also keep trimming a little bit off the stems every other day.

Attached to every bouquet we sell is a sachet of flower food and preserver. Replace the water every two days. If you run out of flower preserver, you can use a little bit of bleach. Bacteria is the enemy, so make sure you keep on top of it.

Florists will keep flowers in the fridge if they are made up and ready for delivery. Why? Because flowers will last longer in a cool environment. 

Last but not least, it can be worth misting the leaves and blooms with a light spray of water every other day. Most flowers will benefit from this, particularly lilies and roses.