Grocery store bouquets are an inexpensive way to bring color into our homes. Typically, they consist of the least expensive and longest lasting flowers on the market. They look promising in the wrapper, but when we get them home, we are often at a loss as to how to show them off. Here’s what I do:
Remove the flowers from the wrapper, snip about one inch of stem from each flower and soak all of them in lukewarm water for at least half an hour.
Grab a vase. I am using one that is about 8″ tall and 4″ wide at the mouth. Don’t use anything bigger, as it will not be filled by the bouquet. Fill the vase about 3/4 with water. Some flowers, such as roses and hydrangea, drink lots of water, so keep adding fresh water.
Make a “nest” from greenery found in your yard. This nest holds the flowers upright and in place. Some common greenery that works really well:
Camellia
Heuchera
Pittosporum
Ligustrum
spring blooming vines
Rosemary
Oriental maple branches
Aspidistra
Hosta
Snip the stems again and add your flowers. To avoid looking top heavy, place larger blooms at the base, smaller blooms up higher. Resist the urge to leave the stems long. Stems aren’t attractive in most grocery store bought bouquets, so cut off enough so that you can tuck the flower into the greenery that you placed as a nest. I removed at least 5″ of stem.
