Author: Tina Fottler Sawtelle, Pinewoods Yankee Farm, Lee, New Hampshire. Color Your Life with Flowers is Tina's creative inspirational capstone project encouraging people to brighten their world with flowers and share flowers with others to brighten their world as well. Tina invites other writers to join her in telling flower stories that everyone can relate to and be inspired by. Be sure to browse through all the blog stories full of color, pictures, and stories that will make you smile.

It’s that time of year when the first spring flowers begin to jump up in the yard. Unlike other more bountiful times of the year, we are tuned into the smallest details nature has to offer. Often little eyes and muddy little hands are the first to notice the spring blooms begging to be picked then shared with excitement and love.

Be ready to receive your precious little blooms with love and hold them close by at your windowsill. A gathering of the smallest vases and containers ready and waiting for these spring treasures will inspire you to proudly display your itty bitties. Keeping them close by your sink means you can enjoy their sweetness when you are there often, and water is close by.

Get in the habit of picking your own table petits to put smiles on the faces of your guests. Adorn your windowsill with itty bitties you have picked for yourself.  You will begin to find that this habit of foraging and taking care of  your little treasures becomes comforting and enjoyable. One of the little things in  life that makes a cheerful difference in your day.

When I asked my friends to express a few words about how they felt about flowers these are a few of the words they used, “Flowers make me smile,” “Flowers bring sunshine to unexpected places,” “Flowers brighten my life literally and spiritually,” “Flowers represent life to me,” “Flowers help me express what I need to say,” and “Flowers remind me of love and care in difficult times.”

Remember today to begin to Color Your LIfe with Flowers in even the smallest way. Your life may be enriched more than you know. And share flowers with others enriching their lives as well.

Author: Tina Fottler Sawtelle, Pinewoods Yankee  Farm, Lee, New Hampshire

     Before you know it, the local fresh cut flower season will be here in New England.  You will be  enjoying colorful, seasonal, local fresh cut flower bouquets from farmers’ markets, farm stands, and your local growers and designers this summer. Wouldn’t you like them to stay cheerful and bright for a full week or more? I wanted to share some easy tips with you about caring for your flowers and keeping them fresh for the longest possible time. At farmers’ market, often I’ll have visitors stop in and  take the time to mention that they have tried these tips and been surprisingly happy at how long their flowers have lasted in their home. 

     Think of flower stems as tubes that bring water up to the bloom. You want to keep the tubes clean of any bacteria that may grow in the vase in order to have the longest lasting flowers.

 Following are a few tips to keep your flowers looking fresh and beautiful:

• Clean Vase: Start with a clean vase and make a habit of keeping your flower vases as clean as the dishes you eat from.
• Change the water often: Keep the water in your flower vases as fresh as water you would like to drink. This will keep bacteria from building up in the vase and clogging the flower stem tubes. Change or top off water daily.
• Remove foliage below the water line: Any leaves will quickly gum up the water and block the tubes of your stem. Strip as many leaves as you can that might get wet.
• Keep flowers away from appliances and heat sources: The cooler the flowers are kept the longer they will last. Appliances and direct sun emit heat that encourage the flowers to mature quickly. Keep your flowers cool.
• Re-cut stems on an angle every few days: When you change the water re-cut the stems to give a fresh entryway for water to work up the flower stems.
• Use a commercial flower food packet in the water or try one of these DIY flower foods: Keeping the water clean is the number one trick to keeping your flowers fresh. Additionally, adding flower food especially to the first vase of water also encourages your bouquet to last a long time.

          Cut Flower Preservative Recipe #1: 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. bleach, 1 crushed
          aspirin tablet, 1 quart warm water for an average size vase. Increase proportionally for larger.

          Cut Flower Preservative Recipe #2: 2 Tbsp. white vinegar, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. bleach or 1
          crushed aspirin, 1 quart of warm water for an average size vase.

     Develop an eye for quality and freshness in the flowers you choose at market as well. Flowers, stems, and foliage should be firm and crisp with good color. Avoid pale and wilted flowers as it is difficult to condition them. If you are faced with flowers that have slightly wilted, re-cut their stems on an angle, give them clean fresh water, and place them in the coolest place you can find out of direct sun and heat. This may bring them back to life for you to enjoy.
    

I  hope you're able to use many of these tips to get the most from your fresh cut flowers for the longest time. Enjoy the flowers!