• Cut stems at an angle to maximize how much water flowers "drink." • Always use a floral preservative to keep flowers fresh. Pieter Bouterse likes to use 7Up for freesia and aspirin for woody stems ...

The flowers look delicate – insubstantial even – but if you grow the right variety little can match the power of their perfume, says Sarah Raven Years ago, to apologise after a row, a boyfriend ...

Freesias were my best gardening success last year. They can be a washout if you start with corms that have been sitting around too long in their bag, so that all life’s juices have been drawn out of ...