As a flower with a leafy stem, it is important to remove all leaves that may sit underwater when displayed in your vase, as these can rot quickly and affect the health of your bouquet as well as turning prematurely yellow.

As with many flowers they are sensitive to direct light and heat so think carefully about the placement of your Chrysanths.

In order to maximize the relatively short vase life of Dahlias, dropping them into warm or hot tap water is ideal when you initially get them home. Let this cool to room temperature, then refresh every couple of days using tepid water.

Use the other stems in your bouquet to help support them and avoid them wilting prematurely due to the size of their beautiful heads.  

Before placing your lilies in fresh water with your cut-flower feed, make sure you remove any leaves from below the water line – and that the vase is sturdy enough to take the height and heft of the stems! Lilies need sun to grow, but once cut, they’ll do best in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

Pinch off the pollen as you don’t want any to get on the flower’s petals as it can shorten the time your flowers will look their best.

Alstroemeria flowers are really long-lasting if cared for properly. Trim and get them in water as soon you receive them and place them ideally somewhere near a window. They like light, but not too much, so a room that perhaps has morning sun and afternoon shade would be ideal.

They are extremely sensitive to ethylene gas, naturally given off by ripening fruits and vegetables, so steer clear of the fruit bowl!

In Autumn, houseplants need to adjust to the drop in temperature and reduced sunlight hours. Reposition your plants to get the optimal amount of light and water less frequently, checking the soil first to see whether your plant actually needs it. Up humidity levels to combat the central heating by giving them a regular mist and leave out the plant food as their growth starts to slow. Finally, don’t fret if they start to drop a few leaves as they adjust, this is a normal part of a plant life cycle.

Keep your sunflowers for longer by re-cutting stems and putting them in fresh water, ideally with flower food, every two days. Cut the stems under water to prevent air bubbles from entering the stem. When you’re ready to harvest the seeds from your sunflowers, remove them from water and leave them to air dry before hanging upside down to completely dehydrate. The seeds are ready when plump and beginning to loosen from the flower head.