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| House Beautiful |
I love having fresh flowers in my home. I have become quite good at making them last really well and today I am sharing my own tips for success.
1. If you are near a Trader Joe's, buy them there. They are the best IMO for quality, selection, and price. I buy mine at Publix and am extremely happy as there is not a TJ super close to me.
2. Ask the floral department manager wherever you buy your fresh flowers when they get their shipments and go then.
3. I ALWAYS make my grocery shopping my very last errand on my way home so neither food nor flowers are sitting in a hot car. Even if it is cold out, the problem with flowers is their being out of water. If you are not going directly home, bring a baggie with wet paper towels and wrap the stem ends.
4. The minute you get home, before you put away your groceries, put the flowers in a large vase of room temperature water until you are ready to arrange them.
5. When you are ready, have a clean vase filled with room temp water, not cold, not hot, with floral preservative in it. Have the vase right next to the kitchen sink when you are ready to arrange.
6. Many people remove leaves, I don't. Or change the water every few days, I don't. Or put bleach in the water, I don't. I do one thing and my flowers last for weeks depending on the variety.
This is it - make a fresh cut at an angle under running water and carefully put the stem with a bead of water still clinging to the stem end directly in your vase. This is the most important step. This prevents air bubbles that keep water from going up the stem - the reason flowers wilt.
7. If you do nothing else, do 6. above.
8. Chrysanthemum, zinnia, carnation, alstroemeria, sunflower, lily, dahlia are all pretty easy to find and last very well. But with my tips, I find that everything including roses and hydrangeas last beautifully. I can't stand mixed bouquets personally. I like all one variety.
9. Here are some favorites in vases -
I love a rose bowl - so pretty for roses, calla lilies, spray orchids. With a glass vase, I do remove the leaves because it looks much better.
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| Kate Spade Rose Bowl |
I also love this wicker vase I posted about previously.
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| Threshold Studio McGee Light Woven Vase |
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| Natural Bamboo Vase |
This Greek key vase is available in 4 colors and can be monogrammed.
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| Greek Key Vase |
A favorite of mine is a classic blue and white Chinese porcelain vase. Every color flower looks wonderful with blue and white.
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| Blue and White Chinese Porcelain Vase |
Another beautiful choice.
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| Blue and White Chinese Porcelain Vase |
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| Blue and White Chinese Porcelain Vase |
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| Set of Three Blue and White Ginger Jars |
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| Blue and White Koi Ginger Jar |
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| Blue and White Cherry Blossom Ginger Jar |
I have no Trader Joe’s nearby either so typically buy from Publix. Good tips especially asking what day the delivery comes in. I do that at Lowe’s and Home Depot for potted flowers but never thought about cut flowers. Another tip I offer is to check the bunch when you pick it up out of the bucket to be sure it was actually submerged in water. Sometimes people place them back without being sure they reach the water. I saw these charming chinoiserie vase wraps in the Spring Cottage Journal available here https://www.lucygrymes.com/vases. They come in many other prints and colors too. Pamela
ReplyDeleteThose are cute. I did a post about wrapping your own glass vases with marble paper.
DeleteI have to know about your water bead technique. Where do you buy these water beads, how do they attach to the stem of flowers etc? This sounds like magic.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry if I did not make myself clear. You carefully transfer the stem to your waiting vase with a bead of water still clinging to the stem. I was not referring to the water beads you can purchase.
DeleteI hope I made you laugh at my confusion. I love using flowers but never have them last a week so I was hoping for a way to improve. I will try your bead of water method.
DeleteLOL. My current hydrangea bouquet is 2 weeks old. Hope it works for you.
DeleteI second buying flowers from TJ's - in my experience they last the longest. A close second are flowers from Costco.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Costco. I have let my membership lapse as it is just not convenient here.
DeleteI love the leaves as I think they really add something to the bouquet, but I do removed those that will be underwater.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think flowers look weird with no leaves.
DeleteSpring is coming, and with spring, comes spring flowers. I can hardly wait! (Another tip is to shop early in the morning when the stores have the best selections.)
ReplyDeleteGood tip since they generally restock at night. I have to go early before their bagels sell out.
DeleteIn my area (Central Coast of California) there's a label on the cellophane with a bar code and a date when the flowers should be pulled. You might want to check for that. I never buy flowers that have a date two days out.
ReplyDeleteDid not know this! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI would rather know the date they arrive than their opinion of when they should be pulled.
DeleteWhere can we buy White Cherry Blossoms???
ReplyDeleteI have looked everywhere with no luck
Thanks.
Lou C
Cherry blossoms come in white as well as pink and cherry blossoms bloom in early spring. I think they are easiest to find cut where they grow - I was in the DC area for a long time and florists had them in the spring. They may not be as available elsewhere. Silk versions may be an option.
DeleteThanks Beth.
DeleteAny idea where I can find quality silk Cherry blossoms???
You always have the best contacts and suggestions
Enjoy CCC!!!
LC
We were able to get Cherry blossoms the first of January from our floral wholesaler. They were beautiful opened fully and lasted almost three weeks.
DeleteYes, this is the time of year one can find them for forcing.
DeleteCrate and Barrel has faux silk white cherry blossoms that get fantastic reviews.
DeleteThanks for all the tips and helpful comments.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed it.
Delete