How to arrange a dozen roses

First, cut the bottom of each rose-stem. Put your roses in warm clean water while you prepare your vase. Rose stems seal off as soon as they come in contact with air -(they can't take up any more water).

Re-cut the stem-ends every time you take them out of the water. Cut roses drink a lot of water. If their stems close up and they don't get water, the rose-heads will soon flop over.

Make sure your vase is dishwasher clean. The bacteria left behind from the last flowers will clog the roses' stems and they won't be able to take up water. A bleach solution will clean a vase just fine.

Fill the vase with warm water and a teaspoon of flower food, which keeps the water clean and feeds the roses. It may be found for around a dollar at any flower shop (a good investment). If you don't have any flower food, then the best thing to do, is change the water often.

Cut your foliage a few inches shorter than the roses and pull off any leaves that will be below the water line. Experiment with different greens in your garden. Camellia, privet, ferns, rosemary, and basil are all good choices. They'll support the roses and add volume and contrast to the arrangement.

Put six - eight stems of foliage in the vase, crossing the stems so they make a crosshatch pattern (to hold up the rose stems).

Garden roses are rarely straight and are difficult to keep in place. If your roses have nice leaves and straight stems, you don't even need the greenery.

Clean your roses by pulling off blemished leaves and any that would be under water. For your own comfort, you can nip off the tips of the thorns. Cut the stems about the same length with a sharp knife or pair of garden shears. --(Scissors pinch the cells in the stem closed and the roses will die of thirst).

For pleasing proportions, flowers need to be at least one and a half times the height of the vase.

Begin placing about half your roses around the base of the arrangement, crossing their stems. Try to space them evenly.

Add a few more roses standing more upright, closer to the center, leaving a space in the middle.

Turn the vase as you work so the flowers will show on all sides.

Place your final rose in the center. It looks best if it stands a bit above the others. Add more foliage to fill in gaps if necessary. If you have some smaller flowers you want to add to the arrangement, then by all means -use them!

First: strip off most of their foliage, then cut them to the right length. Finally, slip each one between the roses (until the arrangement looks full and balanced).

Voila! You are finished.

Make sure that you stop and smell the roses!

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