One of the great joys of being outside in June is seeing all the roses in bloom. Who wouldn’t want to bring that joy home with them? There are two ways to do it–grow your own roses or buy some cut roses. Growing your own roses can be rewarding, but it is a year-long commitment that requires time, patience, planting space and a fair amount of horticultural knowledge. For most of us who just want to brighten up a room and celebrate the month of the rose, cut flowers are a better bet.

Many people tend to see buying cut roses as a waste of money because they’ll only last for a few days before they begin to wilt. That’s where the secret comes in. The secret is that cut roses can last quite a long time, even throughout the entire month of June, as long as you put a little effort into their care.

Once you choose to buy your cut roses, you will have many styles and colors to choose from. You can pick whatever suits your fancy, but bear in mind that you want flowers that are just starting to open, no more than 1/3 to 1/2 way open, and make sure that there are at least three leaves on the stem. You can buy them already arranged in a nice vase or you simply buy a box of roses, like the Box of Sunshine arrangement from Boyd’s Flowers.

Once you have your flowers, you need to get them into good, clean water immediately. As you place them in, make sure there are to remove any leaves below the water line. Usually, roses you purchase will come with a floral preservative, but if not,you can make your own. A few drops of vodka (or other clear liquor) and a teaspoon of sugar added to the water before putting the roses in can help to preserve the flowers. For non-drinkers, you can accomplish the same thing with sugar and white vinegar. A crushed aspirin in the water can also help. Keep your roses out of direct sunlight for a few hours to adjust to their new home before putting them on display.

To keep your roses healthy, change the water whenever it looks dirty. If they start to wilt, re-cut the stems (under water) and put them back in the vase. Finally, when they appear to be fading completely, a spritz of hairspray can preserve them for quite a while. With these secrets, you can have roses blooming in your home all through the month of June!