I read this info again this morning at another site. I had tried this 'trick' and found it worked great, but I'd never had a separate blog post about it, so here you go....
This recipe & info for preserving fresh cut flowers, found at www.thekitchn.com has proven to be amazing. I was impressed at how long the peonies kept on my countertop! Try these tips for keeping your flowers looking fresher longer.
• Make homemade plant food: Flowers need food, water,and a clean environment. So their water should have a little food, like sugar, and some bleach to slow fungi and bacteria growth. Here's a basic home recipe: Mix together 2 c.water, 1 Tb. lemon juice, 1-1/2 tsp. sugar and 1/4 teaspoon bleach.
• Trim stems: You want to open the stems up to the water, so cut off the dried bottoms at an angle to let them take up as much water as possible. Trim the ends every three or four days to keep them fresh longer.
• Remove leaves: Leaves left on the stems below the water level will quickly deteriorate and promote mold. Remove all leaves from the stems below the waterline.
