Mogra season in Pune
When jasmine is at its best, and how to keep a gajra fresh until evening.
How to make cut flowers last longer
Five minutes on the first evening adds days to a bouquet.
A bouquet that lasts three days and one that lasts eight are often the same flowers, treated differently on the first evening.
First, cut the stems. Use a sharp knife or scissors and cut 2 cm off each stem at an angle, under running water if you can. This opens the stem so it can drink.
Second, use a clean vase. Wash it with soap and rinse well; bacteria left from the last bouquet block stems within a day. Fill it two-thirds with cool water and add the small sachet of flower food that comes with every order.
Third, strip any leaves that would sit below the water line. Leaves in water rot quickly and cloud it.
Fourth, find the right place. Keep flowers away from direct sun, the top of the fridge and the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit gives off a gas that makes flowers age faster.
Then change the water every two days and trim the stems again. Roses that droop can often be revived by cutting the stems and standing them in deep water for an hour.
