Flowers! And how to make them last...

I am a complete and total flower enthusiast.  I love buying them, I love growing them, and I especially love receiving them :) They fit right in with my cardinal rule of "make everything prettier than it needs to be".  I even did my graduate project on a flower shop during my Masters of Fine Arts.

---

---

I think my favorite thing about flowers is that they link me to memories.  Some people hear a song and immediately think of a time, a place, a person.  For me, that is flowers.  Every time I smell or see a petunia, I immediately think of my Grammy El and the hundreds she would plant at her house in Massachusetts every summer.  Roses?  My moms bouquet of red, and my sister and my bouquets of pink every year for Valentines day from my dad.  Hydrangeas? I can't help but laugh as I think about my moms pesky hydrangeas in Pittsburgh.  One year they have so many blossoms that they look ridiculous, and the next?  Nada.  Can't even get one bloom.  And I fear the fate any one who tries to trim them - "don't they know those are where next years blooms come from!?"  And the cycle continues ... 

One of my favorite memories of all times is gardening with my mom every spring and summer.  This is such a chore to so many, but I can't think of anything I would rather do.  Spreading mulch??  Pick me!!!  Spending hours at the flower shop and all weekend in the back yard is pure bliss.  For me, I think that is what people call a happy place.  I am surprised my mom and I did not have a memorial service for our 75 year old lilac tree, literally the fullest and biggest one I have ever seen to date, when it finally had to be trimmed back to the size of a shrub last fall.

---

---

With Valentine's day tomorrow, and so many beautiful arrangements going around, I thought this would be the perfect time to share some tips on how to keep those blooms alive and well for as long as possible! 

I also wanted to highlight one of my favorite sites for gifting, and some of my favorite of their Valentine's arrangements this year.  Olive and Cocoa has the greatest flower arrangements, home gifts, entertaining gifts, food gifts, business gifts... you name it.  Very unique things that you just can't find very often.  Enjoy!

---

For an arrangement: 

Give the blooms a spritz of hair spray, this will allow the petals to hold their shape and strength for a little longer than they normally would.

Add a teaspoon of chlorine bleach, a teaspoon of sugar, and a tablespoon of lemon juice to the water instead of using the commercial preservative that they give you.  I have a feeling this is similar to our bodies performing better with whole foods than processed foods! 

---

Add fresh water to the vase each day until the water looks murky.  Then, replace entirely and repeat! 

Every night, place your arrangement in a cool basement, garage, patio, or refrigerator.  My mom has brought flowers back to life doing this. 

Keep out of the sun and away from any constant heat source (obvious... but still...)

---

For fresh blooms that you arrange: 

All of the above tips plus...

Buy or cut flowers that are still in bud form.  There is something just as beautiful about this stage of the arrangement, and it doubles the life-span.

---

Condition the flowers before you put them in the vase.  Place the flowers in a bucket filled halfway with warm water for several hours, or even overnight. 

Cut the stems with sharp scissors or knife in a diagonal.  For particularly thick and tree like stems, smash the bottoms and split with your fingers (think hydrangeas, lilacs...)

---

Remove any leaves that will sit below the water line in the vase.  The leaves, even though they can be pretty, will put bacteria into the water which will only cause the flowers to rot.

---

Make sure the vase you are using is very clean.  No, blowing on the bowl to remove the dust doesn't count.  This goes along with the above tip.  By removing any and all bacteria, it lengthens the life of your arrangement.

---