What could be nicer than a beautiful arrangement of flowers for the festive season? Here are some top tips to keep your blooms looking tip top.

• Always make sure that no leaves are below the water level in the vase as rotting leaves will pollute the water.

• If your flowers get a bit droopy they can be revived by adding one aspirin to every pint of water.

• Don‚Äôt let your arrangement get too warm, which will shorten the life of the flowers. Places to be avoided include in direct sunlight, near a fire or radiator and definitely not on your television.

• Avoid placing flowers near a fruit bowl as the gases given off by fruit prematurely age flowers.

• Remove any dead flowers within an arrangement as these too emit gases which can affect the remaining blooms.

• To keep the water in your vase fresh you can add a piece of charcoal or some ceramic beads.