Extend the Life of Cut Flowers

The next time you receive fresh flowers, extend their life with a few easy steps. Cut the bottom inch of the stems off at a diagonal angle. If the flowers did not come with a flower food packet, dissolve two aspirin in room-temperature water and pour into the vase. Don't let the stems touch the bottom of the vase. Every three days, change the water and re-cut a half inch off the stems, taking a minute to remove any dead petals from the flowers as you go. The diagonally-cut stems absorb more water than straight-cut ones, the aspirin helps water flow more easily to the flowers (much like is assists with blood flow in a person) and removing the dead petals gives fresh ones a chance to flourish.