Fred's Formula for Keeping Roses
By Fred Bettin
(From The Charlotte Rosebud, September-October, 1999)

At a recent meeting of the Charlotte Rose Society, someone asked what to use to have roses keep better in the vase. It seems that Fred Bettin has a good formula for a 'rose keeper' solution:

One gallon of warm water

1/2 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of household bleach

Mix the three ingredients together and allow to cool. When you put your roses in the solution in a vase, they will last approximately twice as long as when just using water!