While I was in hospital last week, my sister (on a food run!) sweetly brought me back a bunch of flowers to cheer me up. Purchased in Dunnes, a cute mix of coloured roses and some oriental lillies.

The poor flowers got forgotten in the car since Saturday last to my shame! So, on finding them on Thursday, I decided they needed some SOS treatment and quickly! All of the heads on the roses were drooping and wilted.

So, here’s what to do.

In one jug, have boiling water. In your vase have prepared, cold water with flower food. (In the absence of flower food, the tiniest dash of household bleach, tiny tiny dash!! and a teaspoon of sugar will do the trick!, the bleach keeps the water clean and the sugar will feed the flowers).

Cut a good inch off the bottom of the rose stems, on a diagonal – this increases the surface area that can soak up the water! Plunge them into the boiling water for approx. 30 seconds (plunge the stems, readers, not the heads!) and then immediately into the cold water.

Within a few hours, the rose heads will lift and start to bloom and look perfect again.

The first image was taken about 4 hours after the roses were treated, and the second picture 2 days later.

Now – that €6.99  bouquet of flowers has lasted for almost 10 days – even with the abuse it received

This treatment can be applied to roses as soon as you bring them home from the shop – it will really help them last much longer so you can enjoy them for longer! For other flowers, when you bring them home from the shop, unwrap from plastic, prepare vase with cold water and the sachet of fresh food that is attached to bouquet, cut stems a good inch from the bottom on diagonal and put them into water immediately!