Whether you buy them, grow your own or are given them, flowers are at their peak in summertime. Here are some great tips to keep them fresh longer:

1. Remove any leaves that would be underwater, cut the stem on an angle (cut under running water if at all possible) and immediately immerse in lukewarm water. Only bulb flowers need to be placed in cold water.
2. Add 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon bleach to 1 quart of water that will be used in a vase.
3. Keep flowers away from fruit: the gases of fruit age flowers.
4. Keep flowers cool and away from direct sunlight.
5. Completely change the flower water every day or every two days at the most (rather than just topping the vase off).

Preserve and Use Dried Flowers…naturally
You kept your flowers fresh for as long as you could, now preserve and use them:

1. Cut flowers at driest time of day.
2. Strip off the bottom leaves and secure bunches of like flowers with rubber bands.
3. In a dark closet or attic, hang flower bunches upside down till completely dry.
4. Store or arrange dried flowers away from bright sunlight or humid bathrooms.
5. Use your naturally dried flowers in sachets, arrangements, wreaths, herbal vinegars, and soap or body product projects. Use edible nasturtiums in salads; lavender in tea, lemonade and baking; roses and calendula in cookies, bread and cake; coat pansies and violas in sugar and use them to decorate cakes.