What really makes your flowers last longer

Scientists claim that Vigara can limit cell damage in flowers, keeping them looking their best for up to two weeks – Heathcliff O’Malley

If you’re given flowers with a box of Viagra on the side, it may not be for the reason you’re thinking. It might just be that the person who has bought you the flowers is a keen horticulturalist. Danish scientists have recently discovered that Viagra can make things more perky not just in the bedroom but on the mantelpiece, kitchen table and windowsill too. The little blue pill, it seems, when dropped into a vase with a bunch of cut flowers, can limit cell damage in stems, petals and leaves, reducing wilting and keeping them looking their best for up to two weeks.

Of course, it’s not the first unconventional floral tip we’ve come across. Copper pennies, aspirin, even a splash of vodka have all been documented to keep flowers lasting that bit longer, but does this latest method really work?

I tested it out, with five identical bunches of flowers from my local florist Mystique, whose owner howled with laughter when he heard what the flowers I ordered were for. Needless to say, he was also interested to find out the results.

As well as sturdy roses and chrysanthemums, we chose tulips and snapdragons, which have a tendency to go a bit droopy after a week.

Lucia with her flowers prepared for testing – Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph

Buying Viagra, however, isn’t as simple as I thought. You can’t just nip into a chemist and quickly come out with a box; you have to chat with a pharmacist about why you need it, which I hadn’t factored in. Boots refused to sell it to me as a female, but a local pharmacist did eventually allow me to buy a pack of two after my lengthy description of what I needed it for (by which point the people in the substantial queue that had formed behind me were all intrigued and keen to know the results of my experiment too).

Alongside the Viagra, I put to the test four other remedies for extending the life of cut flowers, including some home-made flower food and some copper pennies. I added two litres of water to each vase, and changed the water every three days. Here’s what happened.

Flower food

Why it works 

Flower food typically includes just three ingredients – sugar, citric acid and bleach. The combination works well for almost all varieties of cut flowers, and is designed to nourish the flowers while preventing bacteria from taking hold. Sugar acts as a nutrient for the stems, the citric acid lowers the pH of the water in the vase, making it more acidic and improving the flowers’ intake, and the bleach wards off bacteria.

Method

I followed Martha Stewart’s recipe for DIY flower food as I thought it sounded quick and easy: mix 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sugar and ¼ tablespoon bleach. Add to 250ml of lukewarm water and pour into the vase.

Results

All the flowers started off doing very well. The tulips were still closed on day four, and all the stems and leaves looked fresh and green for the first few days. However, the water in the vase looked much cloudier than the water in the other vases, and while it didn’t smell bad, it didn’t look particularly healthy. A promising start, but by day seven some of the roses started to fade, and the small roses crisped up entirely by days eight and nine. It seems to work well for a week, but not longer.

Copper coins

Why it works

There is some science behind this old wives’ tale: copper coins may act as antimicrobial agents. Copper is a fungicide and contains natural properties that prevent bacterial growth, so it may stop microorganisms growing on the flowers, and thus slow down decay.

Method

Simply drop one or two copper coins into the bottom of the vase every time you fill it with water. I used a mix of 2p and 1p coins for maximum antimicrobial benefits.

Results

The first thing I noticed was that the vase and water looked cleaner than any of the others. By day six the vase was still sparkling and the water looked crystal clear. The flowers stayed very perky and did not spread at all for the first four days. I was really impressed; it worked better than the flower food. The roses in particular lasted very well and still looked beautiful on day nine, and the tulips still had all of their petals. I also noted that the copper coins had become super shiny and looked like new coins by day 10.

Viagra

Why it works

The first link between Viagra and longevity in cut flowers was discovered in 1999, when Australian and Israeli researchers found that sildenafil citrate (the chemical name for Viagra) made flowers last one week longer than their usual lifespan. The effect is thought to be due to the release of nitric acid, triggered by chemicals in Viagra, which slows down the decaying process in plants and flowers.

The most recent research was carried out in Denmark, where doses of sildenafil citrate were added to vases containing branches cut from a Christmas tree. Scientists found that those in the Viagra solution lasted longer than branches in either aspirin or plain water.

Method

Just 1mg is needed (there are 50mg in one tablet), dissolved into a vase of water, so I used a pestle and mortar to crush a tablet and sprinkled a teeny amount in. I had planned to make pesto later that day so I took extra care to thoroughly rinse the pestle and mortar afterwards.

Results

At first, there was no real difference between these flowers and the ones with flower food and copper coins. But by day five, I noticed that the tulips were not as droopy as the ones in the other vases, and the roses and chrysanthemums looked very fresh. But it was the long snapdragons which looked better than those in any of the other vases – they were tall and erect and showed no sign of drooping. The tulips had to go by day 10, but the roses and snapdragons were still tall and blooming. I used them as a centrepiece for Sunday lunch and they remained there for nearly a week after the others. I was astonished.

Ice cubes

Why it works

Adding some ice cubes to the vase of water may help keep the blooms lasting longer, as colder water may slow decay and the growth of bacteria and mould.

Method

Simply add two or three ice cubes to the vase every day.

Results

By day four, the tulips had started to drop petals, and the smaller roses had crisped up entirely by day five. The snapdragons were in a very floppy state by day seven and the whole lot barely made it to day 10.

Searing stems in boiling water

Why it works

Gardener Sarah Raven says that “searing certain stems when they go a bit floppy can rejuvenate some flowers”. It’s a trick she learnt from her aunt, picking artemisia for Christmas flowers, which, without searing, flops quickly. There are lots of conflicting arguments about why searing may work – it might break down the cell walls, helping the stem to take up water; it might shock the plant; or it might sterilise the stem and stop bacteria.

Method

Pour boiling water into a mug and dip the bottom 10 per cent of the stems in, then immediately place into cold water. The length of time Sarah sears the stems for is proportionate to the texture of the stem:

5 seconds – for delicate flowers such as bluebells

20 seconds – for a woody rose

30 seconds – for blossom or a crab apple branch

Results

I waited until day four to sear the stems, when they became a bit tired-looking. The tulips and roses were revived for a day or so but soon became floppy again. It revived one of the snapdragons, but by day 10 everything had to go.

The overall winner

Viagra proved to be a runaway winner: ‘It works,’ says Lucia – Heathcliff O’Malley

Viagra is the clear winner. At £6.25 a pop, it’s an expensive way to extend the life of your cut flowers, but it works. It may well be worth having some on standby – for flower emergencies, of course.

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