Never Ending Spring Fever
Oh, how I love this time of year. While I pretty much have Spring Fever year ‘round, my favorite parts about this time of year, including renewed spirits, fun new fashions, and bright decor, are the beautiful blooms that mother nature graces us with. Not only are we surrounded by the amazing colors that Spring has to offer, but the smell of Jasmine blowing into your window on a warm day is nothing short of magical.
Everywhere I go I see amazing fresh flowers, and I can’t wait to cut the stems, pick out my favorite vases, and place them all around my home. There is nothing that can change a room quite like newly picked flowers. Whether you go out to your yard and forage for beautiful blooms and blooming branches, or pick up flowers at your local farmers market, nothing makes a room fresher and happier!
When it comes to choosing the perfect pairs for my home, I always seem to end up with all white. I absolutely love white flowers as they give an ethereal feel to a room and add a brightness that cannot be matched. My favorite go to’s are tulips, lisianthus, ranunculus, hydrangeas, and, who can live without peonies!
I was fortunate enough to work at a florist while in high school and learned how to take care of flowers, orchids, and the like. I worked under an amazing women named Peg, who had the grace of Audrey Hepburn (Happy Birthday by the way), coupled with an amazing sense of humor and a zest for life. She was a fine mentor and taught me all she knew.
One of the most important steps in choosing flowers that will last, is to buy flowers where the buds are nice and tight. If they are already open they will only last for a couple of days, but if you choose carefully, your flowers can last a week or more. Once you have chosen your special stems, pick out your favorite vases, and then follow these next important steps. First, prepare all of your vases. Add room temp water, and while I have tried all the tricks like flower food and pennies, I have found that sprinkling a small amount of granulated sugar in your water is the magic trick to keeping your flowers fresh. When all your vases are prepped, take each stem individually and cut it to the appropriate length and place one by one in your vase to create the perfect arrangement. If you want a more uniform look, hold the flowers in your hand, set them up to how you want them to look in the vase, and then make one cut, more or less, to make them the same length. Then, place them in your vase. This technique works great for tulips or another grouping of all the same type of flower.
The final and favorite step, placing the flowers throughout your home, including the family room, dining room, and bathroom. One last tip is to put your flowers where you and your guests will see them as soon as you walk in your house, being greeted by your lovely blossoms will always make for a good day.
Happy Picking!
