Determine what color of roses represent the emotion you are looking to express. Roses are very deliberate, and giving the wrong color may send the wrong message. Because these symbols are widely known, be sure that the color you choose matches to the correct feeling you want the receiver to know. Red means love, pink is a great choice for admiration, yellow is for friendship, white stands for purity and can be used for weddings and funerals, orange is known for conveying passion, and purple is for enchantment or "love at first sight."
Inspect the fresh rose bouquet closely if you are buying flowers that are prearranged. The petals on each rose should be vibrant in color and free from wilting or brown edges, both of which indicate that the roses are older and may have a shorter lifespan.
Avoid purchasing any roses that are still tightly wrapped as these flowers may never open fully. Known as a "bullet," rose heads that are still very closed at purchase stand a good chance of staying that way. Instead of blooming, they may simply lose their outer petals and die.
Reject any roses that are completely opened. If a rose is fully blossomed, it has already reached the peak of its life and will not last as long as others might. The ideal time to purchase roses should be when the flowers are slightly opened. The petals should be a bit loose at the top of the rose head, which allows you to see that it has a decent chance of flowering.
Ask the florist when they received the rose shipment. Knowing when the flowers arrived can help you determine how old they are and how long they have to live. Locally grown roses will stay longer, because they are picked the day before and don't have to endure a long shipping without water.
Deliver the roses to their final destination as quickly as possible. Keep them in a cool, dark storage container if at all possible until they arrive.
Use a pair of garden shears or kitchen knife to cut the bottom 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) off of each rose stem at an angle. Cut the stems under flowing water, so that no air gets into the stem itself.
Snip off any leaves or flower parts that will fall below the lip of the vase. The only things that should be inside the vase are the rose stems and water. Make sure that the vase is clean. It should be washed with water and soap inside, allowed to dry out, and only the filled with fresh water and used for your roses.
Place the roses in a vase of cold water. For optimal rose life, change the water every other day. When the water starts to get murky, pour most of it out (maybe not all to avoid the shock for flowers) and add fresh water.
Set the vase of roses out of direct sunlight and away from heating vents or radiators. Roses will wilt and die very quickly if they are subject to any heat. Roses don't necessarily tolerate constant cutting. Sometimes if you've got a good cut on the stem, it's best to just let them continue to drink out of that cut. However, if you notice that one or two roses are starting to droop a little bit, you can try to re-cut them under flowing water.
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