Garden roses ­ any kind of garden roses are generally far prettier in the
vase than florists' roses. Florists' roses admittedly last longer in water
but they are often stiff and formal, standing to attention in the vase with
barely any character or charm, and usually no perfume at all. With a little
care, most garden roses can be kept in water for the best part of a week.
Here's how:

Select buds with two or three layers of outer petals beginning to unfurl. Varieties with few petals should be cut tighter than varieties with many petals.

Cut stems as long as possible in the cool part of the day and plunge them immediately in cold deep water, preferably overnight.

When making the vase arrangement use water with flower food dissolved in it.

Strip the foliage leaving the lower 75% of the stem leafless. Make a clean new cut at the base of the stem leaving white pith then slice a 5cm strip of bark and pith from the base of the stem.

After 2 or 3 days change the water. Make a fresh base cut and slice a new 5cm strip from it.

Dedicate some roses to cutting. Plant them away from areas where flowers are needed to stay in the garden. Vegetable gardens are good for this.

Cutting Blooms in Clusters - making the most of stems that carry blooms in
clusters.

Well in advance of cutting any stems, break out the crown bud, (the earliest to open), when it is half open. This encourages surrounding buds to open.

Wait to cut the stem until several of the outer buds are partly open, just past the early stage of petals unfurling. By now, other buds will have fully reflexed their sepals to show colour.

Once in the vase, regularly break out the finished blooms. Refresh the vase-water and re-trim stems after 2 or 3 days.