There are few flowers that look as nice or smell as wonderful as fresh roses. They're perfect for cutting and bringing into the house to enjoy, and if you take a little extra care in cutting and preparing them, they'll last much longer in that special vase.

First, make sure your cutting shears are very sharp and clean. If the blades are dull, they will crush the stems, and dirty blades can transmit diseases from one plant to another. Next, always cut your roses in the midafternoon, after 3:00, when their nutrient levels are at their highest.

If you're looking for roses that will look beautiful for a long time after you've brought them inside, choose buds that are 1/3 to half open. Blooms that are already open will look nice, too, of course, but they won't last nearly as long. Leave at least three leaves on the stem you're cutting, but remove all those that will be below the waterline in your vase.

Back inside, there are a number of tricks you can use to lengthen the life of your cut roses. First, you need to replace the small air pocket that was created when you first cut the stem with water. Fill a bowl with water that's as hot as you can stand to put your hand into without being scalded, and then add a rose preservative (available at any garden shop) and a few drops of bleach.

Then place the stems of your roses into the bowl without letting the flowers touch the water. While the stems are underwater, take your shears and cut about 1/4 inch off the bottom of each, and then leave the roses in the bowl until the water has returned to room temperature.

While you're waiting, you can fill your vase with warm water, adding your preservatives and a couple drops of bleach. When the water in your bowl has cooled, you're ready to place your roses in the vase, and they'll last an amazingly long time.

In fact, they'll often last so long that the water will begin to get cloudy in the vase. When that happens, take the roses out, refill the vase with hot water, add a couple drops of bleach, and immediately put the roses back in the vase.

When the roses themselves begin to wilt, you can revitalize them and have them last even longer by going through the same process as you did when they were first cut, although you'll just be cutting about 1/8 inch off the bottom of the stems this time. You only need to soak the stems about an hour, and then you can put your roses into the vase again and enjoy them for several more days.

It takes a little effort, but if you take the time to cut and prepare them right, your roses can give you much more enjoyment than you ever thought possible.

Copyright 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher