Making the Most out of Grocery Store Flowers

Do you know how to make the most out of grocery store flowers?

Grocery store flowers are not what they used to be. 

I'm not sure they even had them when I was a young bride, but if they did, they were usually only the dyed carnations or the freesias that wilted in a few days.

Today at Kroger I happened upon a sale. 

Two dozen roses for the price of one!

I picked up these beautiful deep pink ones.

I also pulled out my precious Waterford vase. Mr. Bill splurged on this for me for Christmas one year. I have gotten oodles of use out of it.

I got this pretty square vase from one of my darling students.

It just won't work to simply stick the roses "as is" in the vases.

The key is cutting.

Now some of you may feel a bit of trepidation about cutting flowers you just purchased.

It must be done in order for the flowers to look right.

I want the flower to stick up about 4-5 inches above the rim of the Waterford vase.

I cut four inches off of the bottom of the first rose and tested it in the vase.

It looked okay so I trimmed the rest of the roses. 

Make sure they each of the flowers are the same length. Measure from the top of the rose to the cut.

 The part you cut off will not be the same on each flower.

For some reason a square vase oozes sophistication to me.

It pained me at first to cut so much of the stem off to arrange in the square vase but it is worth it.

I lined the vase with leaves from the roses.

I tucked some asters around the roses. An aster is a fall flower that looks like a mini daisy. They will typically last a week or more.

I have found similar square vases at Hobby Lobby in the candle making section. They were about $2.00 a piece.

There were enough to do an arrangement for the powder room.

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A little one for the kitchen too. 

I got the gorgeous pink (or red) onion scoop in Ruidosa, New Mexico at a lovely antique shop. 

The pattern is the onion pattern. It is not a scoop for onions. :)

Ask your floral department which days they get deliveries. Not all the flowers on display will be from the current delivery.

Kroger has an expiration date on their flowers. I don't know if all floral departments do that.

Also, I have never noticed a difference by using the stuff they give you to make the flowers last longer.    

I have made a subtle change in the dining room. 
I haven't showed much of this room. I will soon.

I hope you will go out and get some fresh flowers. 
Not much is blooming here. It is way too hot!!

Sprinkled with cuttings,
Katie 
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