Fresh Flowers

Fresh flowers are part of my daily life and decor. They bring a little sunshine and happiness to the week and they feel like a luxury that is within reach.   I get them from the grocery store every other week and usually get them from the clearance flowers section.   But even if they aren’t marked down, I do not usually spend more than $20 and get a variety of blooms to make a few small arrangements to place around the house.

My two spring time favorites are hyacinth and peonies. Just a few hyacinth blooms can fill our entire house with their fragrance!  I love it!

While the lifespan of flowers varies on the type, overall there are a couple of things I do to make them last a little longer:

• Cut the stems at angle
• Change the water every other day
• Use the packet of preservative that came with the bunch
• Keep them away from fruit
• Remove leaves below the water line
• Edit – remove droopy or wilted flowers

As far as styling them, I collected a few vases and containers from Goodwill and I purchased floral tape to create the grid that allows you to position the stems where you want them.

Fill your vase halfway with water and then use the tape to create a tic-tac-toe type grid across the opening of the vase  If you’ve bought a mixed bouquet, separate your flowers out in your work area, putting all like flowers together and all greenery together.  I love green dianthus as a filler. It is in the carnation family and they last a long time – about three weeks!   Green dianthus, or green trick, are the green fluffy balls in the center of this arrangement.

If your vase is clear, adding wrapped leaves in the vase can hide the stems and create a beautiful look.

 I’ve had so much fun creating arrangements for my own home, I’ve started creating them for others as well!
-J