I have all things garden, floral and spring on my mind over this week. From planning the cottage courtyard patio area (again!) to planting roses in the cutting garden to ordering some special fresh cut garden roses & flowers from the SF flower market. And as I was getting ready to send over my order – I thought about some of those tips that I have learned over the years that help keep those beautiful fresh cut flowers from wilting- & keep them lasting and lasting.
Like keeping hydrangeas and lilacs from wilting, getting peonies to open up and even getting ranunculus to stand tall. And I thought I would share a few with you.
Fresh Cut Flowers that last
It seems no matter what your favorite type of flower to have in the house is- there is probably some tip or trick to get them to last longer. I have shared several over the years- and those posts are always some of my top one. Which tells me- that you love fresh cut flowers as much as I do. And you probably would love for them to last much longer than they usually do too.
Wild About Flowers
I am absolutely Wild about Flowers all year long. And I started to share the Wild About Flowers series last year- but it kind of dropped off and I apologize about that. But I am picking it up again and planning on sharing all kinds of different inspiration. From inspirations for arrangements and flowers to add to your garden, bespoke arrangements, to tips and tricks and tutorials and more. Next week will be sharing a post about a flower that is in season right now and is inexpensive- those little bursts of sunshine – daffodils.
Fresh Cut Roses
Stop by your grocery store flowers area- and see what they have. Bring all the dozens of those 1/2 priced or even less roses home with you and enjoy them. Sure they won’t last as long as they might had you bought them last week- but often -they will last longer than you think. A tip is to pass on the roses that have ‘smooshy’ blooms- or slippery looking stems. They are already not soaking up that water as they should be and won’t look good for too much longer.
Tip: A tip with roses is to trim off that extra foliage- you want the roses to soak up as much water as possible- pretty leaves are great but I will take pretty rose blooms over them any day.
Fresh Hydrangeas
Those beautiful full hydrangeas that look amazing at the grocery store- but not so amazing after you bring them home. Yeah. We have all been there. And after being burned by wilted hydrangeas one too many times- I found out a few florists secrets. I do one of two things first with hydrangeas. Often times- I don’t cut the stems at all after bringing them home. Hydrangeas are usually cut fairly short and will fit in a vase- and then I don’t have to worry about them wilting. But if I do decide to cut them- I use a spice called Alum. Just cut the stem and dip it right into the alum before placing it in the water. It will help to keep it open and let that water reach the blooms.
More Tips for Keeping Hydrangeas from Wilting Here
Cut Lilacs
Lilacs are some of my favorites- right up there with peonies, ranunculus and garden roses. Lilacs are another flower that will oftentimes wilt after you cut them. So when I have lilacs in the house- I make sure to have a hammer nearby. When you cut the lilac- take your stem and smash it with a hammer. It helps keep it open to allow water to soak up.
More Tips for Keeping Lilacs from Wilting Here
Florist tip for Ranunculus
If you have ever brought ranunculus home- you know the struggle with some of those delicate blooms and stems. They are often broken just under the head -and add that to the ranunculus issue of getting a tad ‘slimy’ for lack of a better word.
Todays tip is one that is easy to do And it works. Simply cut those stems every couple of days- at a 45 degree angle. You don’t have to cut a ton off- just a bit will do to revive the flowers. And when you re-cut the stems- change the water that the ranunculus is in at the same time. It makes a world of difference in keeping them lasting.
Fresh Peonies
Peonies are notorious for not wanting to open sometimes. Maybe it is just a batch of them here or there but anytime a peony doesn’t open is a bummer in my book. I have heard that those pesky ants that you can find on them often are needed to help them open- but not sure if that is just a rumor. Regardless though- when you get a big beautiful bunch of peonies that stall out and instead of opening fully start to turn brown- it is super frustrating. I have found a couple things that help encourage them.
- Place them in warm water. Not hot. Not too much- but just a bit warmer than you normally would.
2. Place the vase of them in a sunny window. Again- I think it is the warmth that encourages them.
3. Trim their stems after a day or two to encourage them.
Wrap up
The wrap up here- is that with those beautiful spring blooms on my mind- and those beautiful blooms in the house this week- I am going to be playing with flowers, sharing snippets here and there and will be working on some fun things that are coming your way in the next few weeks- stay tuned for more info on how to join in.
AND for more of this simple floral arrangement and all about how to create it – you can find that HERE (including a how to video)
I hope this helps give you some ideas for making those spring blooms last a bit longer. If anyone has any other tips they would like to add- would love for you to leave them in the comments.
Shop the Look
You can also pick up a copy of my book Inspired Gatherings for more florals and ideas for them- (and if you already have my books and enjoyed- don’t forget to leave a review at Amazon to let others know what you thought. You can also find my first book- French Country Cottage here.
Happy Friday Favorites everyone.
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Great tips
Thanks Jo!
Courtney – doesn’t the alum wash off the stem end when you put the hydrangeas in a vase of water? Last week i bought hydrangeas, white roses, and eucalyptus to make a bouquet like yours. it was beautiful. the next day all the flowers had drooped even though i cut the stems and used the little food packet. no matter what i did, i could not revive them. Amazing how the hydrangeas were beautiful in the store with closed stems, then drooped after i cut them!
The alum will wash off but it helps to ‘burn’ the cut area enough to keep it soaking up the water. It is so frustrating when the hydrangeas do that. Next time you get them- you can leave them as you picked them up at the store- just make sure they have fresh water- and when you do cut them- try the alum. Just cut the stem and dip it into the alum to coat it before placing into the water. (you can wait a couple minutes in between dipping in alum and putting in water as well if you would like to)
Your home and your photos are beutifu! I look forward to your blog posts so much. I am one of the lucky ones to have one of your signed copies of your sold out book! makes me feel special. 🙂 keep being you!
Thanks for the great tips. SOMETIMES, I FEEL LIKE MARKET FLOWERS ARE NOT KEPT PROPERLY., THAT SAID I WIIL BE TAKI G NOTE ON ALL SUG.
THANKS FOR BEING YOU.
Love Love Love your arrangements
Thank You for the great tips Courtney. UnFortunately we cant buy Allum in the Supermarket here. I haven’t been able to find it at all. My florist told me they dip the stems of hydreangeas in boiling water for one minute.
This also seems to work.
Yes- have heard that works. Alum is a spice- usually tucked right there with the other spices. Not sure if it is usually carried everywhere- but you might be able to order if you wanted to.
Thank you. Its DEFINITELY not avAilable in Australia.
I have even lioked on liNe. Its ALUMINUM sulphate. MayBe my chemist could get it for me.
Thanks!!
Love all your posts, arrangements and etc…this really came at a great time since I’m prepping for a baby girl shower in March. I’m looking forward to your beautiful spring inspiration! Take care.
Congratulations! So fun!!
OMG – i can barely put food on my table let alone buy all those flowers! Have you heard that “less is more”??
Hi D,
We don’t usually have this many flowers in the house at once -these are snapshots of various flowers and projects from over the years – not from today. When I do have an abundance of flowers at one time- it is usually for a specific job I am working on or a special occasion.
Hi Courtney,
I have given up on hydrangea since it’s a bit of a gamble as to whether they will totally wilt. These tips are great. I’m going to save them. There’s nothing more frustrating than buying some beautiful blooms only to have them look wasted the next day. What about sweetheart roses, the very small roses often sold in the stores? I’ve bought them and found them to be bent just below the head the next day.
xo,
Karen
I am not familiar with the name Sweetheart rose- is that a spray rose? Bunches of tiny roses on each stem? I process them the same as I do larger roses- removed the leaves and cut the stems on an angle. I have found that a good flower food seems to help roses- as well as making sure the water and the vase are clean. I fill containers with water and a bit of bleach after using to clean them well.
Great Tips And beautiful flowers.
Thank you
Hi Courtney!
Sometimes when hydrangeas are cut, a sticky liquid comes out which blocks the water. Alum eliminates this so the stem stays open. our new home and was debating on planting my aLL TIME FAVORITE hydrangea bush. I will definitely give it a go! I love YOUR soft romantic color choices when arranging florals.
You tell us To aSK you anything- the picture of you holding that big gorgeous bouquette of flowers- I love your hair color? Since the pandemic, you have inspired me to go darker with my hair again. Do you by chance color your hair? If so, will you share your product and color choice?😊
Goodness! Courtney I am so sorry. The first paragraph of my above message was not intended for you. I had copied it from the internet for my personal use and it somehow pasted it in between my message.
So embarrassed. 🤭
Haha! THE part past the Alum spice is to you.
Have a great afternoon!
I love this pOst!!!! Please more tips on how to get more out of the flowers i buy – esp grocery store flowers😍
Thanks so much for the alum tidbit last summer. I have a garden full of them and I tried it and I have flowers for a week….it works
You can also put the entire blossom part of the wilted hydrangea in water and soak it overnight and that will often revive it for a couple of days. It is very dry in New Mexico and the flowers need all the help they can get.
To Keep tulips from drooping cut a vertical slIt right under the bloom. To make Paperwhites have a sturdier stem, put alchol in the water. Not sure Of the ratio, but you can google it.
I will be saving this one alot of good to know info, i love your posts and always look foRward to it you never disappoint🥰
Courtney, so many great tiPs in your post, and the flowers are all so BEAUTIFUL! Im DEFINITELY saving this post foR future refernce!
Thank you so much for these tips! I have garden club at my house in April and I plan on sharing these with the members.
A landscaping friend who is well known in my area told me that ants do in fact open peonies. He made that point because he said you will see ant hills popping up now that you planted them so leave them because ants open peonies. (Sorry if this shows as all caps, couldn’t fix it.)
Thank You fo these great tIps!😄🌸🌺💐🌼
Hello,
This is a grrat post. I did not know you could order from the SF Flower market. Can you provide me with that information please. I moved from SF in 2017 and miss my visits to the market.
thank you,
Michle
Hi Michelle, I order from Torchio Nursery often- you can try them. They will ship.
Courtney!
I never knew any of the tips in your post, so i am quite jazzed. I can easily see myself “getting into” flower arranging. Thank you, and keep the ideas coming. I soak them up like a sponge. I love the way your creative mind works. And working with the flowers keeps me calmer and more peaceful I can’t thank you enough!
Love the Tips on keeping the flowers fresh. Alum, works great too.
The very best tip I CAN GIVE FOR ‘DROOPY’ ydrangeas is this..When they look about gone–cut the stem a off a bit and smashed it with a ahammmer. Then—and this si hte important part—set tehm in a container with very hot water.It will take a couple of hours but they will perk right back up and you can transfer them to your arrangement.Sometimes you have to put more very hot water in the container but it works every time.Tried and true!!!!