Flowers for the Home

When it comes to home décor, there’s no cheaper outlet than Mother Nature’s garden, and with spring now in full swing flowers are king. We can all agree that nothing brightens up a house like vase of fragrant freshly cut blossoms. But really, in between work, changing diapers, washing dishes and generally running a household, who has time to change flowers every second day? Dried skeletal flowers are definitely not the answer, so here is a list of hints, tips and home remedies to help your blossoms stay fresh for longer.

• Make sure your vase in 100% clean. Often flowers wilt and die due to bacteria left behind by previous flowers to have graced the particular vase.
• Flowers often don’t react well to cold water as it’s quite a shock to their system. Instead, fill your vase with lukewarm water.
• Stir in a teaspoon or two of bleach or vodka as this will prevent bacteria from sprouting in the water.
• A sprits of hairspray to the underside of leaves and petals has proven to help blossoms last longer.
• If you don’t have commercial flower food, add a crushed headache tablet, pinch of salt, baking soda, a copper penny or a spoonful of sugar to feed your pretty blooms.
• Be sure to strip the stem of leaves that will fall below the water line as these leaves will most likely rot in the water, once again leading to bacteria growth.
• Heat is one of the biggest causes of wilting, so place your vase of flowers well away from direct sunlight and other heat sources.
• To give more body to your arrangement, either place a mirror behind or underneath the vase.
• When night time falls, place your flowers in the fridge (not the freezer). The coolness will increase their lifespan.
• Flower stems tend to reseal themselves after a while, which means water can’t reach the lovely petals. Be sure to trim the ends every day or so to keep their chins up.
• Flowers with woody stems (such as roses and hydrangeas) and flowers that grow from bulbs should always be cut at an angle.
• Just like you’d change a baby’s diaper, you also need to change the water in your vase every so often. Rinse the vase to remove any bacteria and be sure to add your vodka/bleach and aspirin/sugar to the fresh water.

For more ideas on Flowers for the Home or to check out the original photos displayed above and their credits, make sure to check out our Flowers for the Home Pinterest board!