Fresh Flowers on a Budget

I always knew that when I had my own home, I would fill it up with flowers.   I'm not much of a gardener and we don't own any land besides, but one way I've made sure that my life is always bright with blossoms is by keeping fresh cut flowers in vases.

 But flowers are pricey, and we have very little income.  So how do I manage to get all these photos of flowers all over the place without breaking the bank?   Here's how I do it:

1 // Stalk your favorite grocery stores for free flowers

This is how I started keeping flowers.  When I worked at a grocery store, at the end of the night, if the flowers had passed their sell-by date, the managers would "pull" them.  They offered them to employees to take home because otherwise, they would just have to throw them out.  And unlike food, there were no health codes they were in danger of violating by giving away out-of-date stock.

After I learned that, I would routinely check the sell-by dates on the bouquets.  If I were working on one of those days, I would ask to take home a bouquet.  If I wasn't closing, I would swing around right before closing time and pick one up anyway.

At the store I worked at, everyone was really friendly and had good relationships with regular customers.  If you shop some place like that, consider making a similar arrangement to take their throw-away flowers off their hands!  Win-win!

2 // only purchase bouquets that come with flower food

The money stretches with the longevity of your flowers, so, if possible, always purchase bouquets that come with little sachets of "flower food."

3 // make the flower food last

There's enough powder or liquid in each sachet to feed more than one bouquet of flowers.  This works out especially well if you buy two bouquets, one with flower food and one without.

4 // always by the flowers with the tightest buds

You see a brilliant display of blooms in the shop and think, 'I have to get that!'  Look for the same bouquet that is less far along in bloom.  Those tiny buds are their own kind of pretty, and it's not like you'll miss out in the big bloom later on.  You'll just be able to enjoy your fresh flowers longer.  The tighter the buds, the better.

5 // cut off any foliage that falls beneath the water line

This prevents early rotting.  All that should be beneath the water are the bare stems.

6 // change the water regularly

Ever couple of days to once a week is best, to get rid of the water in which mold, germs, and bacteria have settled.  You can tell when this has happened as the water gets cloudy.

7 // take your flowers with you!

It's a waste to put pretty flowers in an empty room!  Pick them up and take them with you!  If I know I'm going to be relocating from the living room to the bedroom, I take my vase of flowers with me.  If I spent the money on them, I'm going to enjoy them!

8 // don't underestimate the beauty of a hand-picked bouquet

Where we live, the most beautiful wildflowers grown in abundance: tulips, poppies, cowslips, buttercups, bluebells, Queen Ann's lace, and forget-me-nots. . .  Pick the flowers as close to the bottom of the stem as possible, then lay them out on your kitchen counter or table.  Pick off the excess leaves and foliage and arrange the stems in a vase, glass, or mason jar, with the shortest stems along the rim and the longest stems in the center.  Add a splash or pinch of your leftover flower food and enjoy!  They're absolutely free!