Rather than let the remaining flowers on the mimosa tree be ripped off by the wind, I cut a couple of branches and brought them indoors. At this point they usually start to shrivel and dry – but not this time. I googled ‘Conditioning Mimosa’ and discovered the secret to keeping it looking good in a vase. First cut the stems at 45 degree angle, then stand them in a jug with 10cm (4″) freshly boiled water and finally cover the jug and flowers with a large plastic bag – and leave them like that overnight. It’s the steam that works the magic.