Choose a vase with a narrow neck, then pour 10 ounces of the hottest water from the sink. Because you are using tap water (usually has a pH around 7), the pH must be lowered if the flowers are to survive.

Use a measuring cup to apply materials to the vase or container. Pour 3 ounces of concentrated lemon juice into the vase, followed by one ounce (two tablespoons) of clear Karo syrup. Stir the solution, then move on to your cut flowers. Make fresh cuts at the base of every stem, placing stems in the solution promptly. Rearrange flowers in the vase after all blossoms have been placed in your preservative. Cut flowers need medium to bright indirect light, never exposure to the sun. Keep flowers out of the kitchen where ethylene gas from over-age fruits or a gas range will cause premature wilting of blossoms. Change the solution (hot water, concentrated lemon juice and Karo syrup) every five days.