Caring for cut flower bouquets

June is an especially busy time in a flower shop.  May people are celebrating graduations from high school and college, stepping up for younger children and giving thanks to teachers for a job well done.  June will be a time of year that we will sell lots of fresh cut flower bouquets and I would like to give you a few tips on how to make them last as long as possible.  First, always give the flowers a fresh cut with a sharp knife or clipper before putting them in water.  Your flowers have been wrapped and out of water for a while and giving them a fresh cut will allow them to drink properly so they will live longer.  The second thing is to always use the preservative the florist gives you in the water.  It will help to keep bacteria at bay so your flowers will stay fresh.  Repeat these two steps every few days to freshen the cut stems and keep the water clean.  Third, always keep your flowers in a place that is at a comfortable room temperature or colder.  Keeping them in direct sunlight, in a room that is very warm or on top of a TV that heats up will cut their life dramatically.