Whether I am in France or back in New York, bringing flowers home from the market every Monday is something I must do.
This week I got colorful zinnias and sunny marigolds. The flowers may change with the seasons, and that’s lovely, but caring after them so that you can enjoy them at home, generally, stays the same.
So, here are my five easy steps to Flowers 101:
- Use floral shears to trim the stems on a bias, under water. If you have branches or tree blooms of some kind, cut up at a right angle into the stem.
- Clean up any extra leaves or greenery so that it is not in the water – that’s what makes it murky!
- Select a vase or vessel to hold your flowers – I keep jars, bottles etc. on hand too.
- Fill it with enough lukewarm water.
- Now the fun part – play with colors and shapes, heights, just remember to arrange flowers “in the round” so that you can see what they will look like from all sides.
I also made a little video tutorials featuring my zinnias bouquet (it is also up on my IGTV).
Remember to change out the water and re-trim stems every few days to make your flowers last.
{ps.} Curious about edible flowers? I did a post on them here.
I’ve been loving all your flowers on Instagram! My latest bouquets have been herbs that have gone to flower from my balcony garden.
Thanks so much, Teresa! And that sounds like the best bouquet 🙂
Great tip about not leaving any green leaves in the water. I know better, but forget sometimes in haste and then regret it almost immediately! Not only does the water get murky, but it smells bad and I think it may cause the flowers to last less long as well.
Yes! If I don’t have them in a clear vase, sometimes you see less of it or forget, but it definitely affects both the water and the flowers!