flower
power
flower arranging for
hipsters
by
Kathryn O'Halloran |
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Make
your flowers last longer:
Of
course, you don’t want to spend all that time and money making a
floral masterpiece only to have it all ruined a few days later when the
flowers start to wilt. It
only takes a tiny bit of extra care to keep blooms fresh for longer.
- Always
wash vases and other containers that hold flowers with bleach.
This will make them sparkle and kill any nasty bacteria.
- The
best flowers will have clean stems and be sitting in clean water.
You don’t want flowers that have been sitting around the
store too long.
- Don’t
buy flowers that are already open, unless you are buying them for a
specific purpose and need them looking their best that day.
If the flowers are open, they will only last another day or
two.
- Don’t
worry about buying flower food or commercial products to make your
flowers last. You can
do the same thing by adding a drop of bleach (just one) and a tiny
amount of sugar and lemon juice (1/4 teaspoon or less) to the flower
water.
- Trim
the flower stalks before you add them to the vase.
This will help the flowers absorb more water so they last
longer.
- Don’t
put vases on heaters, in a draft or right up against windows.
- All
flowers benefit from having their water changed every 2 days.
Of
course, different flowers need different care.
How do you look after specific flowers?
Roses
should be kept cool and need lots of water.
Gerberas
only need a little water. The
stems should be trimmed regularly.
To stop them from drooping wrap the stems with florist wire.
Daisies
and lilies thrive in fresh
water.
Poppies
need to be kept cool. They
tend not be very long lived as cut flowers anyway.
Tropical
flowers
like orchids should be sprayed with a mister.
Irises
don’t
like fluoride so if your tap water is fluorinated, let the water sit for
a few hours before adding them.
Tulips
will grow around 10cm after they are cut so make sure you trim them
regularly. They grow toward
the light so turn the vase every day so they don’t get lopsided.
o
o o
So
forget about your fears: filling your home with color and fragrance
doesn’t doom you to life as an old maid but adds a touch of beauty to
everyday life. o
Kathryn O'Halloran fights
the urge to strip wallpaper in her rented home in Melbourne, Australia.
Her online life is lived at Jazzy
Hands.
check
out these related articles:
makeshift vases | indoor
herb garden
more
articles by Kathryn O'Halloran:
80s party |
decorating scents | a
room of my own
--------------------------->
lounge . nourish .
host
. laze . home.
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