Fresh flowers in the house are such a pleasure, the subtle scent of them and the glorious look of colour and texture, we respond to flowers with pleasure. Of course you will want them to last as long as possible and even in hot environments there are things you can do to achieve this.

First of all, did you know that flowers and fruit do not like each other? If your bouquet or bunch is near a bowl of ripening fruit, they are in danger.

Fruit gives off a lot of a gas called ethylene and this is what kills cut flowers, the flower produces the same gas but in smaller quantities and this is what makes them eventually die off, so if you have fruit too close, you will hasten the process.The worst culprits are bananas! Keep them elsewhere.

Make sure your vases are clean, rinse with water containing a few drops of bleach. Always have the vase of water ready, cut off half an inch of stem and straight into the water, this is to be sure the flower can drink.

In hot weather or hot rooms, the water in a vase of flowers will produce more than usual bacteria thus making the water go cloudy and blocking the cells in the stems. The flowers can’t drink properly and even if they could, they must have clean water to last well.

You can achieve this in two ways, one is to use a cut flower food which keeps the water clean. In this case just top up the water each day. The other way, if you have no flower food, it to replace the water daily. Clean out the vase as you do and most important, cut some stem off each flower as you replace it in the vase.Flower food also helps with longer vase life, if you have none you can put a soluble aspirin in the water.

Now where should you put the vase? We all tend to display them in the window, nice for all to see of course but if they are likely to be in full sun at any time of the day, this is not the place to put them. Full sun on a flower in the garden is fine, but for cut flowers it is too stressful and will shorten their life drastically.

The same applies to anywhere over or near a source of heat in the room, like a radiator, too hot and the result will be drooping blooms.

So what is the ideal?

Clean water in the vase treated as above, not in the window or above the radiators, away from fresh fruit and in the coolest place available.

Follow these tips and your flowers will look their best and last as long as possible.You need to start out with really fresh blooms though, so when sending flowers, choose a company that grows and picks a lot of their own, see my recommendation below and enjoy your lovely flowers by post.

Wedding flowers are important to every ceremony. Creating a romantic and comfortable setting for your wedding guests is as important as your wedding vows. In the first stages of planning a wedding you may not know where you need flowers. In most weddings they use wedding flowers as a large part of their decoration plan. Weddings are expensive. If you are looking for a way to cut your expenses you may want to consider the flowers.

To keep the cost down use flowers that are available locally and keep things simple but elegant. Use flowers that are in season. Having and keeping to a budget is very important. Plan at least 6 months ahead so things can go smoothly. Be frank with your florist and focus on what flowers are most important to you first. A bride can have the bouquet of her dreams without paying too much for it by choosing flowers that are in season.

There ways to cut back even if you want to have the wedding flowers provided by a rather expensive florist. If you want flowers that are uniquely created by a pricey florist but still need to shave a little from the floral budget you can consider a ordering fewer flowers and/or flower arrangements. You can also consider flowers from your local grocery store floral department. Many stores have excellent floral arrangers and they will work with you to create a beautiful floral design.

Carrying flowers by the bride is not something new. It is actually an old custom. The bride carries flowers to keep the evil spirits away from the wedding celebration. There are hundreds of beautiful blooms that are available to create the romantic elegance your wedding deserves. Your wedding flower bouquet can be created so that is not only beautiful to the eye but also meaningful to the heart. The best way to get the right flowers is to choose the right florist. One of the best ways to find a good florist is by word of mouth. So ask around.

Beautiful fresh wedding flowers underline the importance and elegance of your wedding day. They enhance any setting. They can literally transform an average looking room into a beautiful, romantic scene. If you have planned well your wedding flowers will be exactly what you want. With the perfect flowers you will be free to focus on what your wedding day is all about.