You can find more information, photos and advice sheets on all the plants and recipes that we talk about in this podcast by heading to the links in the show notes or on our website at sarahavin.com. Welcome to Grow Cook Eat Arrange with me, Sarah Raven and Arthur Parkinson.

It's Christmas Eve and we have sat down and wondered what everybody would like to listen to on Christmas Eve.

And do you know what? We ended up thinking that we would give all our tips and all our knowledge about how to make flowers

last as long as possible. So from picking, which obviously in the winter is not so prevalent,

but how to then condition things so that even in our hot houses now over Christmas, you can

really make sure that you maximise the use

and the beauty that you get from the things that you've bought to decorate your houses over

Christmas. But it's more than just that. It's also literally all our tips for how to condition

throughout the year to make your flowers last as long as possible.

So, Arthur, what is your top tip?

My top tip, you know, at this time of year I'm surrounded actually sitting here by lovely sprayed golden alliums and seed heads that

I've gathered. My top tip is to really think about this season or through the year if you can.

Don't mention the red Christmas, but just look at the garden as things are going over and think,

hmm, that's going to be really gorgeous inside at a time where I've got nothing to pick.

So, Allium, for example, don't let the wind destroy it and turn it brown.

Pick it as soon as it starts to fade from that lovely, jewelly green into that yellow tumbleweed

colour.

Put them all in a box in the attic somewhere light and airy, not too hot, not too cold, not

damp, I think is the key thing.

And then you'll be able to get them out at Christmas time and they will become the most gorgeous decor. It's the thing that

your friends will come around and go, you know, if you've got Alam Skibertyi, suspended from the

ceiling on a little bit of fishing wire. You know, you don't have to spray things. I know there's debate on whether we should be using hairspraying things on stuff.

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