The doomed battle to keep cut flowers alive is essentially a matter of keeping them from drying out for as long as possible. If these death-wish blooms are from your own garden, you're most likely making the mistake of cutting them in the heat of the day, when live flowers are already at their driest.

This means the stem loses its water tension and can begin to droop. If this happens, we recommend that you take the roses out of the vase and cut about an inch off of the stem at a 45 degree angle. Place the roses back in cold, fresh water and you should being to see them perk back up within 24 hours.

Most florists agree that flowers should last a good 7-10 days from purchase, depending on the individual variety. In extreme heat this reduces slightly but with a little extra care you should be able to enjoy them for at least a week.

Remove overly wilted flowers, as these release ethylene gas (as does ripening fruit) and may cause the other flowers to wilt prematurely. Cut around 1-5 cm off the stem at a sharp angle and put it straight into the clean water. It should perk up in a few hours.