A fresh bouquet of flowers will brighten up any room and most people are pleased to receive them but there's it's always a disappointment when than that expensive bouquet of flowers starts to wilt prematurely. Still there are lots of things you can do to lengthen the life of your bouquet; while it may not help them last forever, here's a quick guide to how to lengthen the life of your flowers:

1. Rather than buying flowers that are already in full bloom pick plants that are still in bud or that are only partially open. This way you can enjoy seeing the flowers open up and they'll last much longer when you put them in water.

2. Top up the water every few days. Levels of bacteria in water can build up after only two or three days causing the flowers to deteriorate hugely. Try adding a couple of drops of bleach to kill any bacteria in the water and only place flowers in a clean vase making sure to top up the water at least every three days.

3. Add sugar. Many bought bouquets also include chemical plant food, which is meant to provide the plant with nutrients but many flower professionals recommend adding a teaspoon of sugar or a crushed vitamin tablet to the water, before adding the flowers.

4. Cut back on the trimmings. You should remove a centimetre off the stems and take off any leaves that fall below the vase water line as they will simply rot in the water. When cutting stems, cut at an angle using sharp shears (not scissors!) - this will ensure the flowers can drink as much water as possible.

5. Also, while doing all of this preparation, keep the flowers in lukewarm water - this is the best temperature for ensuring optimal water uptake. Try to get them into water as soon as possible to give them maximal chance of a longer life.

6. Try not to squash them all into one vase - give the flowers and stems space (this will also mean they have more water). Visually, the flowers will look much more appealing when artfully arranged rather than stuffed into one vase.

7. Don't place flowers in the vicinity of fruit bowls as the gases from the ripening fruit will cause flowers to wilt much more quickly. Also keep flowers out of direct sunlight or hot rooms as the heat will cause the flowers to wilt much faster, try to put them in cooler surroundings.

Maricruz Tennill is a florist and author based in York with over 30 years experience of handling flowers. They recommend Interflora for florists in York.