Tag Archives: fresh flowers

Keeping House: Flowers

17 Thursday Jan 2013

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Flowers1Flowers2Fresh flowers make everything better, in my opinion.  These Casa Blanca lilies are one of my favorites.  Casa Blancas are fragrant and will last for more than a week.  We get ours for $5 a stem around here.  I like to buy lilies when their buds are closed and watch them open a little more each day.  Each Casa Blanca stem is so full of flowers that we often cut off singles to put in small vases for the bathrooms.  Our Bluebird of Happiness pitcher was an $8 flea market find.  To make your lilies last longer:

*Cut flower stems and place in water as soon as you get home.

*Be sure to add flower food to the water.  (Ask the florist for a couple of packets).

*Remove pollen anthers as soon as each bloom opens.  (If you miss picking one before it gets messy and fuzzy, use a pipe cleaner to dust pollen off of petals).

*Change water every four days.  Recut stems, add more flower food and be sure stems are submerged.

*Remove old blooms as they fade.

Enjoy!

Farmer’s Market Bridal Bouquets

16 Monday Jul 2012

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I got to make the bridal bouquets for our friends’ wedding last week.  We found great seasonal flowers at the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan.  (My favorites were sweet pea from Dutchmill Garden out of Newfield, NJ and the globe thistle from The River Garden from Catskill, NY).  It was such a treat walking around the market in the early morning and the bees were as excited about the flowers as I was.  I used to do flowers for weddings and I forgot how much I miss it!  Kristin and Linsey’s weding was a beautiful and rustic affair at the Green Building in Brooklyn.  The farm flowers went right along with the homemade pickles and vintage napkins.  Such a lovely night!

To get the longest life from your market flowers be sure to:

*Cut the stems and place in water as soon as you get them home.  Add packets of flower food if you have it.

*Strip leaves off of stems that will be submerged.  Leaves will turn the water rancid quickly.

*Wire any heavy-headed blooms in a bouquet to keep from drooping.

*Change water frequently, and recut stems every few days.

*Keep blooms out of direct sunlight.  They will last longer in a cooler room.

*If you want flowers to open quickly, place them in warm water.

*Avoid refrigerating flowers with produce.  Gasses from fruit and veggies will make flowers open and wilt quickly.

Enjoy the summer blooms!