For some of you this may seem like an incredibly straight forward, simple thing to write about.. it's just putting flowers in a vase right? But I remember spending years saying "I don't really like receiving flowers" mainly because I didn't really know what to do with them when I did and I found it all a bit overwhelming. As I've grown up I've started to really appreciate how a pretty vase of flowers can really light up a room, so for me, learning the basics of how to look after flowers has been really beneficial.
For those of you who also wouldn't really know what to do with a bunch of fresh flowers, here are some tips...
No rush
I always panic that they're going to die before I've even figured out where the vases are kept. Don't panic. If you want to take your time, just place the flowers in the sink with a little bit of water, they'll be fine.
Feed them
Fill your vase with a decent amount of water and add some flower food. Most shop bought flowers come with a sachet of flower food but if they don't I've heard that 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a quarter tablespoon of bleach works too!
Unravel
The easiest way to set the flowers free from the rolls of cellophane and elastic bands is to carefully cut up the side with some sharp scissors.
Measure & Cut
The height of your flowers will depend on your vase, so use one to measure it's height and decide on how tall you want them. Using sharp scissors or a knife, cut off the ends of the stem one at a time. This will not only give you the height you require but it will allow the flowers to drink up the water easier.
Tidy
Cutting off the leaves that fall below the water line will make the overall look a lot tidier. There tends to be a lot more leaves on the flowers than you think so cut away the lower ones to really let the pretty flowers show through.
Arrange
If you're putting a few different types of flowers in your vase, start with your base, so for me that was the white roses. I had more of them and their colour is simple so I chose them as my base. I put the Peonies in after as they are more of an accent colour so I arranged them in a small circle. When putting the flowers into the vase, try and cross over the stems as they'll sit better and look nicer.
So that's it! You can top up the water if it needs it and if you want to try something a bit different you can add a small drop of natural food colouring to make coloured water. Don't keep the flowers too close to the radiator and try and give them some natural light if you can!
Let me know if this has been helpful and I hope you enjoy some pretty Spring flowers!