Roses are designer’s best friend

Roses are the favorite flowers of Nancy Clarke, longtime chief floral designer at the White House.

“They seem to last a long time as long as you care for them. Recut the stems when you make the arrangement and get fresh water into them. Roses tend to be easy to use, if you watch out for the thorns, of course.”

And warm water is her favorite flower preservative, even though she has tried many more sophisticated ones.