tuesday tit for tat: keep your fleurs friggen' fresh.

i'm going to try and make tuesdays more fun with what i'm calling 'tuesday tit for tat'.  if i learn something worth sharing, i'm gonna give it to ya straight up--sharing is caring, so be excited. i figured i would start with something i know...and i know flowers. while working as a floral designer a few years back (i miss it a lot, and often) i learned a handful of tips & tricks when it comes to keeping your flowers fresh, and for as long as possible. the difference between having fresh flowers in my home and not, is actually quite amazing. walking past them in the morning or having them there during meals, especially during the colder months, is just that little extra somethin' somethin' that makes me happy, it's the little things right? so here ya go...my dutch roots are just giddy about this.

i couldn't resist picking up a couple bunches of lovely white tulips from the market this weekend, and at $3.99/bunch, you can't possibly go wrong. i spend more money on a bottle of wine, and that only lasts...well, let's be honest, it doesn't last long. i made sure to pick the bunches with the tightest buds, and checked that none of the stems were broken or badly bruised. once i got them home, i removed all the packaging, and laid them out. choose the vase you want to display your flowers in, and fill it 3/4 full, having your vase ready to go will help you get your flowers into the water as soon as they are freshly cut. this is key, as you don't want them hanging out in the air to dry up and start to seal. this makes it difficult for the stems to drink up all the water they need. start by removing all the leaves that would sit below the water line. leaves that sit in the water will form bacteria, which your stems drink up, and causes them to parish faster.  

once all your lower leaves have been removed, you can organize your stems into the shape you are going for. if you want your flowers even and compact, line them up by bloom. if you prefer them helter skelter and natural, line them up so the stems are even, and hold it up to your vase to make sure you like where they will sit. with my flowers being all the same, and to suit the vase i was using, i wanted them as tidy and as even as possible, so i lined up the blooms.

*tip for fresh cut tulips* before cutting your stems, add a shot of either vodka, gin or whatever clear alcohol you may have into your vase of water. tulips continue to grow even after they have been cut, and unfortunately, they don't grow nice and straight. adding a shot of clear booze keeps them from going all willy-nilly. i know, total opposite to what booze does to me too. rule of thumb: one for me, one for you, a step worth doing for the shot alone. give your stems a nice fresh cut with sharp scissors or a knife, and on as much of an angle as you can. an angled cut prevents the stems from sitting flush on the bottom of your vase, which makes it harder for them to drink, and it increases the surface area that your stem can drink from. i know. who knew?

now you can arrange your flowers in the vase the way you like. i prefer them as full and clean as possible, which is why i chose simple white tulips, perfect for spring. they look lovely in this turquoise vase i found at an antique shop in my neighbourhood, and couldn't be prettier.

a few more tips & tricks.

every 2-3 days, dump out the water and wash your vase with a splash of bleach and hot water. don't use soap, as it gets stuck in the cracks and crevasses of your vase, which becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. bleach will kill anything in the vase, keeping your water cleaner, longer. give your fleurs a fresh cut before putting them back in the vase.

unlike most potted houseplants or planters, you want to keep your fresh cut flowers out of direct sunlight, and in the coolest place you can. sunlight heats up the water, causing bacteria to form, again, depreciating their lifespan.

flowers that have the longest shelf life: carnations (i know how some people feel about them, but i have really come to like them done in a simple, monochromatic posey), alstromeria and chrysanthemum's will last you 1.5-2 weeks easily. peonies, lilies, roses and daisies seem to last around a week before they get all funky. 

don't wait for your man (or old lady) to buy you flowers to have them in your life. for some of us, it happens few and far between, so buy them for yourself and love every minute of them. hey! a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. hell, they may even get the hint and start buying them for you more often. but probably not.