I was given some gerber flowers, and told that making a hole horizontally through the stem under the flower would keep them fresher for longer. Is this true? Is there any substance behind it whatsoever?

Flowers co-evolved with their pollinators: that is why they find flowers attractive. This arrangement works to the benefit of both parties, so do humans get any similar benefits from liking flowers? The plants do, in that gardeners propagate them.

Come to think of it, are other mammals attracted to flowers?

Jim Simons, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK

Daffodils and crocuses are always the first flowers I see come spring in New England.  What about them makes them best suited for early spring blooming? Is it the bulb? Or the are the flowers better for colder temperatures?