GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FLOWERS

Fresh flowers are so uplifting even when you buy them for yourself. I treat myself to flowers when there is a sale. I find my best flowers for the money at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. But, I always look for a sale on flowers at any store I am at. I love to use flowers out of my yard, too. I have a couple of tricks to help them look beautiful for a few weeks.

One trick I use it to put Sprite or 7UP in the vase or container. If the flowers have a packet to preserve them I use that also. I sprinkle a little of the packet into each container and then fill it up with Sprite or 7UP. This works especially well with flowers from my yard that do not have a packet. I don’t know what a florist would think of this but I have great results.

The other trick is to remove flowers from the vase that are starting to die. Then combine flowers that are doing well for a different arrangement. Clip the ends off the flowers and add fresh Sprite or UP. The arrangements don’t have to be perfect! You are just pleasing YOU! I don’t know how fresh flowers could ever look ugly.

I also buy bud vases or containers at garage sales and thrift stores. I keep these on hand to use as a gift for friends and neighbors. It is so easy to put a flower in the container and add a nice note. It is a small gesture that speaks volumes!

The Cockscomb and Sunflowers are both from a previous flower garden of mine. They hold a special place in my heart besides just being absolutely beautiful! When we had my mother’s graveside service there was a field of sunflowers in bloom across from the cemetery. I took a few seeds from the field after the service and planted them at my home. The Cockscomb seeds were from Steve’s father’s yard. He was a master gardener and had won blue ribbons for his plants. I planted some of the seeds from his plants in my flower garden. I have moved to my new home since these pictures but I brought the seeds with me so I hope to continue to plant these beautiful flowers. The flowers remained beautiful for almost 3 weeks by clipping the stems and adding fresh Sprite or 7UP each week.