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How to Create an Ever-Changing Flower Arrangement

August 23, 2017 by Patti 20 Comments

NOTE: This is your regularly scheduled Tuesday post, which I finished and walked away from yesterday, neglecting to hit the PUBLISH button. So now it’s Wednesday’s post. 🙂

Did you ever have a toothache when you were a kid and your mother told you to put an aspirin on your tooth to numb the pain?  Did you do it?  If so, just how long were you able to hold the aspirin in your mouth before spitting it out and declaring that the toothache was more tolerable than that nasty aspirin?

I called my-daughter-the-dentist today to ask her about this practice of her late grandma’s and she informed me that she has actually had patients come in with burns on their gums from trying this.  I knew it!   And this is exactly why I never made my kids do the same thing.

“What,” you say, “does this have to do with creating an Ever-Changing Flower Arrangement?”  You MUST know by now that I always get to the point eventually.

This is the first year that I’ve begun to feel like I might make it as a gardener in South Carolina.  Some of the bushes I put in two years ago are finally looking strong and the new flower bed I planted in my backyard (behind our new paver patio) is coming right along with a nice mix of perennials and annuals.

I’ve been figuring out which plants like it here in my yard and which ones don’t, as well as figuring out which plants I like best and will plant again next year.  Flowers that do well in arrangements have a much greater chance of making the cut.

Today, I want to tell you how you can make your own flower arrangements last longer by making them into ever-changing flower arrangements.

Full disclosure:  I am not a PRO.  Those of you who are professional florists may shake your heads in dismay over my arrangements but I don’t mind.  What matters most is that they make me happy.

This is an arrangement I threw together one morning in June while Mr. OTN was getting ready for work.  He was so impressed when he saw it that he oohh’d and aahh’d and told me how amazing I was, never realizing that this one arrangement had nearly wiped out our entire first crop of  flowers.

It was pretty much made up of cuttings from every single flowering bush or plant in my yard (as well as pieces of plants that never flower).

This gal had swagger.  She was the darling of the kitchen, catching your eye the moment you walked in the room and causing spontaneous smiles to break out on the faces of all who saw her.

Until that day when her most delicate flowers began to fade and droop.  I wasn’t about to let that discourage me.  Outside in the garden, more blooms were on their way, so I bravely tossed the wilters and replenished them with more fresh cut blooms.

And this was the beginning of my Ever-Changing Flower Arrangement and the idea for a new blog post!  Bloggers are always looking for ideas.

I know this probably isn’t an original idea, just like my mom’s idea of aspirin for tooth pain wasn’t original, but it was new to me!  Speaking of which, let me tell you how the aspirin ties in.

For a really long-lasting flower arrangement you’ll want to follow a few steps, one of which is using a fresh flower extender in your water.  There are a number of recipes for this, including the following:  2 T. fresh lemon juice, 1 T. sugar and 2 drops bleach, mixed into a vase of water.  Another recipe is 2 T. white vinegar and 1 T. sugar.  A third suggestion I read about was using a crushed ASPIRIN – there ya’ go – in a vase of water.

Here are a few more tips to make your flower arrangements last longer:

I enjoyed my flower arrangement for at least two weeks, until finally, I removed the few remaining flowers that never seemed to want to give up the ghost, and created a smaller arrangement.

I’m so glad you stopped by today.  I really do appreciate each one of you and the time you take to share in the simple things that make life happy. 

By the way, I want to know about that aspirin!

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Blessings friends,

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Filed Under: DIY, Flowers, Gardening, Home decorating, My Yard, Southern Living, Tutorial Tagged With: DIY, Flower Arrangements, Flowers, Gardening, Home Decorating, my yard, southern living, Tutorial

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Comments

  1. Angel Gardener says

    August 23, 2017 at 8:06 am

    My eyes “smiled” when I saw your beautiful arrangement!! How absolutely lovely and what a wonderful idea. I am going out in my yard today and try the same thing. Thanks for the tips on how to make the bouquet last longer.

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 24, 2017 at 8:35 am

      I’m so glad I made your eyes smile with my flower arrangement Angel. That makes me smile from the inside out! I hope your flowers look lovely 🙂

      Reply
  2. butterfliesds says

    August 23, 2017 at 10:08 am

    Beautiful ideas. I’m going to try them.

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 24, 2017 at 8:49 am

      Thank you Debbie! Have fun with your arrangement 🙂

      Reply
  3. Maristella says

    August 24, 2017 at 7:39 am

    Beautiful bouquet!

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 24, 2017 at 8:37 am

      Thank you Maristella. I appreciate the compliment.

      Reply
  4. Gentle Joy Homemaker says

    August 24, 2017 at 8:09 am

    Beautiful arrangement and good tips. 🙂

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 24, 2017 at 8:38 am

      Thank you my friend. I appreciate you.

      Reply
  5. Sarah Geringer says

    August 24, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Beautiful photos, and such a great idea!

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 25, 2017 at 8:44 am

      Thank you so much Sarah. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Joanna @ Gingham Gardens says

    August 24, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    So beautiful! I can’t get enough of flowers, but our season will soon be coming to an end in Minnesota.

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 25, 2017 at 8:53 am

      Thanks Joanna! Our season does last a little longer than yours but I can feel Fall in the air and my flowers aren’t looking as good as they did earlier this summer. When they’re finished blooming I’m always ready for the break from outdoor work.

      Reply
  7. Nikki G says

    August 24, 2017 at 4:26 pm

    I have made it a goal to plant more flowers for cutting this fall and next spring. LOVE your arrangement.
    🙂 gwingal

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 25, 2017 at 8:55 am

      Ahhh, thank you Nikki. I just found zinnias this year after all my years of gardening. Where have they been? Where have I been? Planted from seed they flower very quickly.

      Reply
  8. Sandra @ Maison De Jardin says

    August 24, 2017 at 6:44 pm

    Love your arrangement. You are such a talented soul, with wonderful ideas and tips. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and talents. Also, gorgeous photos !

    Have a great weekend – Blessings to you and yours.

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 25, 2017 at 8:58 am

      You make my heart happy Sandra, with your sweet comments on my blog posts. It takes a talented soul to know one my friend. Thank you and blessings back to you.

      Reply
  9. Christine @ www.rustic-refined.com says

    August 29, 2017 at 10:15 am

    Your flowers look beautiful! I am such a novice I am still playing with different items from my yard. Sedum is one that surprises me and how long it lasts. I love the caladium you used, its gorgeous.

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 29, 2017 at 7:42 pm

      Thank you Christine. I am pretty much a novice with flowers too, at least here in the South, as it is very different soil here. I’m loving the results this year though.

      Reply
  10. richellaparham says

    August 31, 2017 at 9:15 am

    These are just gorgeous, Patti–every single one of them! Your photos are luscious, of course, but just the idea of letting your arrangement evolve is a wonderful. And how fun to apply that same technique no matter what season we’re in.

    Thank you for joining the Grace at Home party. I’m featuring you this week!

    Reply
    • Patti says

      August 31, 2017 at 4:42 pm

      Ahhh, what a treat to have this post featured. I have been delighted with the way my flowers have come along this year. I’m learning what works and what doesn’t, and it’s fun to surprise my husband with arrangement from the yard. He really likes it! Blessings friend.

      Reply

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