What is the best time to cut flowers for the house

A.� Now is the time our borders should be full enough to be able to spare a few flowers for the vase without spoiling the garden. Try to cut blooms when they are still in bud, not when they have fully opened, that way you get a much longer show. It is best to cut stems when they are turgid, i.e not when the sun is fully out and it is blazing hot. Flowers are best cut early in the morning or evening or on cloudy days.

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A.� Remove the lowest few leaves and then put in water as soon as you possibly can. It is even worth carrying a bucket of water around with you with a few inches of tepid water in the bottom to plunge the stems into as soon as you snip. It should prolong their vase life considerably.

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It is also important to check for any infestation as the last thing you want to do is bring insects into the house where they can get at established house plants. Sweet peas, for instance, are often harbouring the tiny black pollen beetle. If you see signs of insect life submerge the blooms in water for a few minutes to drown them off. If the flowers are for drying, hang them in a dark room with the door open. The insects should leave the flowers and head for the light.

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A.� There are some old wives tales around, but here are a few treatments that definitely work. With sappy plants like dahlias, zinnias and euphorbia singe the ends with a cigarette lighter. The sap hardens and forms a waterproof seal and so stays within the plant rather than leaking out. With roses, dunk the stems in boiling water before putting them in the vase. When cutting grey or hairy foliage make sure they don't get submerged in water as it they quickly rot and turn mushy.

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A. Do use feeds like baby-bio to increase longevity and change it reasonably regularly to stop it becoming stagnant. One of the things that makes flowers last longer in the vase is minimising the amount of oxygen they take in through their stems. There are those who put aspirin or copper coins into the water but there is no proof this works. Charcoal, however, does absorb oxygen so it is worth putting a lump at the bottom, assuming it is not a see-through glass vase, of course.

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