I am a sucker for well priced flowers. If you lose me at Trader Joes or Costco, look for me in the flower isle before looking anywhere else. Aaron can attest to this.
I love having fresh flowers around the house and I think it makes our place look at little more put together (/overcompensates for the wine glass I forgot to put away after falling asleep to Real Housewives re-runs). You know what I don't love? Buying a fresh bouquet only to have them wilt three days later. Flowers are definitely an indulgence so I want to get the most bang for my buck. Though much trial and error, I've worked out a pretty good system to keeping fresh flowers lasting longer.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR FLOWERS LASTING LONGER
- TIP # 1: Trim the stems with at an angle and under water with a sharp scissors. I use this pair and only on flowers so to keep them clean and sharp.
- TIP # 2: Remove all leaves and greenery. The leaves breed bacteria in the water which eventually promote mold near the stems leading your flowers to wilt faster.
- TIP # 3: Change our the water every day and trim the ends (at an angle and under water) every other day. This keeps the stems open and absorbing fresh clean water.
- TIP # 4: Make you own plant food. I use a mix of sugar and lemon juice and add it to luke warm water. You can also add a little bleach to kill bacteria if its starting to build up after a few days.
- TIP # 5: Don't leave in direct sunlight. You want the flowers to be stored in a cool space with some exposure to sunlight but not directly on a windowsill.
Do you have any tips to add? Share 'em with me in the comments or on social media! I'd love to hear what you do too!
This was after one week! ^^^
What a wonderful post!!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do to make my flowers last is to pick the right variety! I love tulips, but rarely buy them because they don't last so long. Flowers with woody stems (like roses) tend to last me a little longer. I didn't know the sunlight bit, though, so maybe I'll give tulips another shot in a cooler location...
ReplyDeleteAlso, to get more bang for my buck, I'll make several small arrangements, instead of one big one. (I use some little bottles that I found at SCRAP.) That way I see the flowers more often, creating more smiles, which means money better spent!
Love your blog, Nicole! I miss your face. It's been far too long. :)