Proof Viagra really does perk up plants!
Some swear by aspirin or a 2p coin. But after a startling scientific study, the Mail’s own experiment confirms the power of a little blue pill
WE ALL know what Viagra does. But can it possibly perk up flowers too?
Imagine the smirks in the laboratory of the Danish scientists who recently discovered the erectile dysfunction drug could prevent droop not just in the bedroom, but on the mantelpiece, kitchen table and windowsill, too.
Yes, apparently the little blue pills, dropped in the vase with a bunch of cut flowers, can limit cell damage in stems, petals and leaves, reducing wilt and keeping them youthful and proud for up to a fortnight.
It’s not the first unconventional tip to do the rounds. Some of us have been putting lemonade, mouthwash or even a dash of bleach in with our blooms for decades.
But can this controversial method really provide the most satisfying results?
I put it to the test on bunches of some of the most popular blooms – tulips, roses and lilies – delivered from the same florist, awardwinning FlowerBx, alongside three better-known tricks said to keep your bouquet blooming: a crushed aspirin tablet, a sachet of flower food and a 2p coin.
To each vase I added one litre of water and at least three stems, monitoring them closely and refreshing the solution every four days. Here’s how they fared…
VIAGRA: A bouquet’s secret weapon?
THE SCIENCE: Research linking Viagra with longevity in cut flowers started in 1999, when Australian and Israeli researchers found that sildenafil citrate (the chemical name for the little blue pill) made them stand straight for a week beyond their natural life span.
Plant scientist Professor Yaacov Leshem found that 2% of the dose needed to treat male impotence (1mg compared to a 50mg Viagra pill) gave a new lease of life to roses, carnations and daisies. ‘The flowers looked much fresher, their colour remained longer, and they were also more turgid,’ he reported.
The most recent research was carried out in Denmark, where high doses of sildenafil citrate – equivalent to five pills – were added to vases containing branches cut from a Christmas tree. Scientists recorded the same results: those in the Viagra solution survived far longer than branches standing in either aspirin and water or plain water. The effect is thought to be due to the release of nitric oxide, triggered by the chemicals in Viagra, which slows ageing and decay. MY METHOD: With conflicting information from the studies on how much Viagra to use – 1mg versus five pills – I decide to start with one. This method doesn’t come cheap: Viagra costs around €45 for a pack of eight, so it’ll set you back €5.63 per vase. For maximum absorption, I crush the pill using a pestle and mortar before dropping the blue powder into the water. RESULTS: Aside from a little cloudiness to the water, there’s no discernible change for the first three days. The tulips, in particular, which can be prone to wilting quickly, are standing upright, with no curl to their leaves.
By Day 4, the tulips and roses have opened fully, but two-thirds of the lily buds are still closed. Day 6 and, though the water is murky with a chemical whiff, the blooms are still, well, blooming. They’re straighter and taller than any of the others in the experiment.
By Day 8, the tulip leaves are beginning to droop and a few of the outer petals on the roses are curling, but if I spin the vase around you’d never notice. The lilies, meanwhile, are beautiful, vibrant and fragrant. I use them as a centrepiece for Sunday lunch.
Day 10 and the roses and tulips are starting to fade, but they’re still upright and the leaves haven’t discoloured. My lilies still look like they’re in their prime. By Day 13, the heads of the roses are downturned, though they’re still vibrant red, and the leaves are crisping. The tulips, too, are looking a little sad – the first few petals have started to fall off. Time to get rid of both. The lilies, though, are pink and stand skyward. It’s not until Day 16 that the stamens start to drop and the leaves wilt, meaning they, too, are headed for the compost. VERDICT: I’m astonished by the brightening, freshening effect Viagra had on my flowers. The tulips, which normally last three to four days in my house, stood tall for almost two weeks, as did the roses. But the lilies fared best, with a lease of life far beyond what I expected.
ASPIRIN: Not what the doctor ordered
THE SCIENCE: Aspirin is said to lower the pH level of the water, making it move up the stem and into petals and foliage faster, thus
preventing wilting. It contains naturally occurring acetylsalicylic acid which discourages the bacteria’s growth – something which should extend the life of your blooms.
But studies on its effectiveness are mixed: one research paper, published by the International Society for Horticultural Science in 2012, found that aspirin actually reduced the shelf-life of cut flowers, with decay setting in after just two days. This may be because it is only weakly acidic. Shop-bought cut flowers may also struggle to absorb the active chemicals from the tablet, which is formulated to be taken with water in much larger quantities than the stems can suck up. MY METHOD: Following advice from leading gardening websites, I use one aspirin tablet – crushed in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin — along with one litre of water in each vase. I choose soluble aspirin. At €3.85 for a packet of 24, it comes out at just 16cent per vase. RESULTS: Despite crushing the tablets, they sit at the bottom of every vase and turn the water cloudy-white: by Day 2, it looks murky and unpleasant. The tulips are the first to go: I check them on Day 3 and the leaves are drooping over the top of the vase. There’s something slimy on the stems, too – I hide them in the spare room when a friend visits.
By Day 4, the petals are dropping off and I am tempted to bin the whole bunch. The roses are also starting to turn: crispy leaves and curling petals. The lilies look fine, but they’re far from vibrant: the blooms pale pink and the leaves are dull. Day 5 and the roses are wilted with foul-smelling water. The lilies are starting to droop – they manage to cling on for another two days before they’re well and truly over. VERDICT: Aspirin may be the answer to a headache, but it’s done nothing for my flowers. In fact, these lasted less time than I’d hoped – not more. Once again, the lilies fared best, but none of the three vases lasted a week. Very disappointing.
FLOWER FOOD: Quick fix that fades fast
THE SCIENCE: Those little sachets that come with your bouquet contain three super-charged ingredients: citric acid, sugar and bleach. The citric acid reduces the water’s pH level (makes it more acidic), allowing it to travel up the stem more quickly.
The sugar, or sucrose, functions as food, to enhance stem development. The bleach kills off unwanted bacteria, which risk clogging the stem, giving your flowers a nasty odour and accelerating decay. Its function is to mimic the natural environment, so don’t throw the sachet away. MY METHOD: It’s important not to over or under-dose your blooms, with experts recommending 6g of flower food per litre of water. I weigh mine, giving it a stir with a wooden spoon so it’s evenly dispersed. RESULTS: All three types of flowers start off thriving, with the buds on the lilies opening on Day 3 and the stems straight, tall and bright green. On Day 4, I notice the tulips wilting. By Day 5, the leaves are curling and crisping up. The roses and lilies, meanwhile, stay healthy until Day 7, when I brush against one of the roses and all the petals – now dry and crunchy – fall off.
The water in the vase is cloudy, and some of the food, despite stirring, has settled on the bottom. It doesn’t smell bad, but it doesn’t look healthy. My lilies last until Day 8, when – brown and droopy – I can display them in my kitchen no longer. VERDICT: This started off promising, boosting my blooms in colour and scent for the first four days. But then the power of the flower food seemed to stop working. If you want a short-term solution, this definitely works. But don’t expect much beyond a week.
2P COIN: Old wives’ tale is on the money
THE SCIENCE: Though the ‘penny-in-the-vase’ theory has been doing the rounds for ages, there’s little science behind this old wives’ tale.
According to advocates, copper coins act as antimicrobial agents: copper is a fungicide and contains natural properties that prevent bacterial growth. This, in turn, stops micro-organisms growing on your flowers, slowing decay.
The trick – which went viral on social media in 2022 – is said to work especially well with tulips, as they’re susceptible to fungal growth. But experts have their doubts: an article in Florists’ Review Magazine claimed that the copper in coins isn’t soluble.
It may, in fact, be the less effective copper oxide – formed when copper reacts with oxygen in air, and seen as black spots on your pennies which dissolve. But this happens far too slowly for it to have any impact on the flowers. MY METHOD: It really is as simple as dropping a coin into the bottom of the vase. I use a 2p, rather than a 1p, for the simple fact that it’s bigger – therefore any antimicrobial effect will be more potent. RESULTS: My vases look cleaner than in earlier experiments. The shiny coin at the bottom is barely noticeable and the water is sparkling. By Day 4, the flowers are all blooming as I’d expect. Though they’re spreading slightly more than the Viagra flowers, even the tulips aren’t drooping – and the colours are beautifully bright.
On Day 6, I notice a few of the leaves on the tulips bending down, but when I touch them they’re moist and spongey. The same is true of the roses: even by Day 8, they look and smell perfect.
Day 10 and the tulips are finally past their best, but the lilies last another two days – after which their stems start to sag. It’s not until Day 14 that I have to replace the roses, whose petals are curling, though their colour remains bright. VERDICT: There may not be any science to it, but this old wives’ tale gave my flowers a definite energy boost. The roses, especially, seemed to benefit and the tulips lasted twice the time they normally do.
AND THE WINNER IS...
THE Danish scientists are on to something. Viagra is the clear winner, producing perky, longlasting blooms that take pride of place in my house for more than a fortnight. Perhaps it’s worth keeping some of those little blue pills in your medicine cabinet –just in case of horticultural emergencies, of course.
■ FLOWERS from flowerbx.com