April showers bring May flowers!

Who doesn’t love fresh flowers?  After a long day’s work, arms full of groceries, you tromp thru the dirty garage and mudroom, enter into your kitchen and see that beautiful arrangement greeting you, adding a little brightness to your day.

What Flowers to Buy

Fresh flowers don’t have to cost a lot of money.  I buy most of my flowers at Trader Joe’s.  Wait.  I ONLY buy my flowers at Trader Joe’s.  Seriously.  They have the best prices in town!  Six bucks for a few tulips.  Who can resist?

My “go to method” right now is: 1 big statement flower (hydrangea is one of my favorites!), a smaller flower that has a pop of color (pink tulips—there is such a good selection this time of year) and a textural greenery (eucalyptus is the best).

How to Arrange the Perfect Bouquet

First: feed your flowers with the flower food they provide with each bunch.  If you remember to do this step (I always forget!), it really does make your arrangements last at least 1 to 2 days longer than without the food.

Second: start arranging!  I grab one of the “statement” flowers.

Third: take your second flower type (tulips) and start adding them around the main statement flower.  Because tulips are smaller, I like their heads to sit a little taller than the hydrangea heads.

Fourth: add in the other two stems of the statement flower (hydrangeas come in packs of 3 at TJ’s). 

Fifth: add any remaining tulip heads. (This was a double pack of tulips for $9.  I still had some extras after arranging this bouquet.  Simply put those raw stems into a bud vase for the bathroom! 🙂 )

Sixth: add the greenery around the outside (or underneath) the colorful flowers.  This provides a beautiful base of greenery, that will droop over the sides of the vase and add stability to your arrangement.

TIP: don’t worry about perfection—let the leaves fall naturally!  Especially today, asymmetrical designs are all the rage!!! 

Trimming to the Correct Height

Now comes a very important part: how long to make your stems!  You will notice all your stems will be varying lengths.

Trim them all to the same length, cutting the stems at a diagonal (this ensures the stem can still suck up water even if it is against the bottom of the vase). I also pull off any leaves remaining on the stems.  The less leaves in the water, the cleaner your water will stay.

Now, check: is this the correct height for your vase?  Hold your bouquet up to your vase.  You want the bottom of the greenery to almost rest on the top edge of the vase.

Final step: stick those flowers in the vase and VOILA!  You have yourself a beautiful bouquet for your kitchen counter, dining table, office desk, or anywhere you need to add a little cheer to your day!

Happy Mother’s Day, y’all!

xo, Melissa