Richard Bloom, from R Blooms in Lake Oswego, joined us today with tips on how to keep our Patio Flowers fresh -- especially during summer heatwaves!

For more information about Richard Bloom and his store, visit his website.

Richard's Tips:

• Wait until it cools down to water plants instead of the middle of the day in the heat
• Do not prune. When you do that the leaves are still tender and pruning will cause them to burn.
• Try to create the illusion of coolness.
• Use crystals beads (look like cracked ice) and add them to the water in a vase or any decorative flower holder. The crystals turn into a gelatin that holds the moisture. Make sure to keep the water cold with ice so that the stem of the plant doesn't start to break down.
• The crystals act as a suspension for the flowers so you can add lemon slices or any decorative piece but just remember to keep adding water.
• Take a wire and slide it down the center of a flower. This allows the water to come up to the head of the flower so it doesn't start to droop in the heat.
• With Sunflowers you can place just the heads in a bowl with the crystals and water but if you want to keep the whole flower together, remember that the stems are fleshy so put a little soap on them to keep them strong enough to hold the weight of the head.