[neilep (OP)]

Dearest Flowerologists,

see these flowers in my neighbours windowbox:

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

Nice aren't they ?...notice how colourful, joy giving and non dead they look ?

Say I was to sneak into my next door neighbours garden and cut them and place them in a vase with flower food.....will they still be alive ?...or does the act of separating them form their roots/bulb means that they are immediately quitting the Earth ?

I asked a Hippie and all he could say was "Flower Power"...so....I picked him up and placed him in my neigbours windowbox and hope she won't notice !!

so...whajafink ?

[rosalind dna]

When you have cut flowers and even if you quickly put them into water, They will die soon
afterwards as they've been taken away from the flowers food source in the earth and the stems. The leaves will begin to turn yellow then brown as they also have lost their
food sources too. Also from the natural sunlight too.

But just a tip from something that I do, when I have cut flowers then a way to make them
live longer, I add half a teaspoon of sugar into the water.

[HeLa]

I think they immediately start to deteriorate.

I do however know that if you place a rose branch in water without the flower and leaves you instead get a branch which grows roots

I've been able to use that same methods on Philodedrons, Hoyas and even Cottonwood Tree branches, although that last one required some patience.