Parenting Pointers: Choosing and Caring for Flowers

Summer is in full swing and there are still many weeks left to enjoy the bounty of beautiful, wild, and not-so-wild flowers that the season has to offer. However, knowing how to pick flowers in nature or at your local store can be a little tricky, and keeping them fresh and healthy for any extended amount of time can be even trickier. Dawn Bryan, founder of The Qualipedia, gives some great advice on how to pick, clip, arrange, and keep your fresh summer flowers looking lovely for these long summer days.

Selecting Your Flowers:

·      Look for firm stems, healthy leaves, and plump flowers with upright petals

·      Select flowers with petals that have the most brilliant color and that are erect

·      Choose flowers that are just beginning to show signs that they are opening

Prepping Your Flowers:

·      Cut your stems under running water at an angle using a sharp knife

·      Remove leaves, that will be submerged, to prevent bacteria from forming

·      Place your flowers in clean cool water (to slow their growth) or in warm water (to encourage them to open)

Caring for Your Flowers:

·      Keep flowers out of direct sunlight, heating/air conditioning vents, and objects that have a tendency to emit heat

·      Trim the stems and replace water in your vase with fresh water every couple of days

·      Remove wilted flowers from the arrangement to keep the rest of your arrangement looking fresh

There are also many health benefits that come with keeping fresh flowers around you. Flowers help to improve emotional health and relieve stress. A team of researchers at Rutgers University explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction. They recently published a study that showed that: flowers have an immediate impact on happiness (apparently this is universal reaction); they have a long-term positive effect on people’s moods; and their presence has been shown to increase contact with family and friends. They also concluded that flowers are a symbol for sharing, especially the sharing of space.

So spruce your home for the summer with a gorgeous arrangement of fresh summer flowers and improve your mood and your view!