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Tips on Prolonging the Life of Your Valentine's Day Bouquet

February 2007 (Medialink) -- For the holiday of love, it is estimated that more than 190 million stems of roses will be bestowed upon sweethearts in the U.S. While Cupid is busy keeping the love alive, it may take a flower doctor to help prolong the life of your beautiful blooms.

The best and most vital advice for fresh-cut flowers is proper maintenance is a must:

  It is important to re-cut stems and change water often.

  Be sure to add floral preservative (provided where flowers are sold) to fresh water.

  Feel free to downsize – the once appropriate sized vase may be too big once the stems are cut. Move stems to a smaller vase and rearrange.

  Don't be afraid to separate flowers into different groupings and move them into different rooms of the home as the stems get shorter and the vase gets smaller.

  When flowers are reaching the end of their life cycle, cut the stems 1/2-inch from the blooms and float them in a bowl of water (blooms may be accompanied by floating candles, stones or marbles).

For those who are puzzled by floral maintenance or just looking for some more information, you can receive quick answers from the Flower Doctor by logging onto www.flowrmd.com.