recent posts

recent comments

  • Juanita: I have loved Gerbera Daisy’s for a long time. My favorite flower to grow in my yard and put in a vase...
  • Rosemary: Hi there, this is a great article! Do you have more information on how I can purchase flats of wheatgrass?...
  • Lucienne Picolet: quite intriguing post
  • Wedding Flowers Co: I think they all look nice as they stand.
  • milton flowers: These look very beautiful, especially I really love the orange, I think that these orange flowers mix...

 

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about julie

Floral Lifestyle Expert
- Julie Mulligan


some of my favorite sites and finds

categories

Flower Care & Handling

The Power of Scent and Color!

Both color and scent have emotional components to them. They can help to cheer you up or calm you down. They can trigger a memory or help to bring balance to your life. Here are a few facts about various colors and scents that you might find interesting along with fresh floral examples of each.
COLOR
YELLOW

Yellow [...]

How to Make a Simple Bouquet Last Up to Three Weeks

It has been scientifically proven that flowers make people feel good. According to behavioral research conducted at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, nature provides us with a simple way to improve emotional health – flowers. The presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a [...]

More Flower Saving Tips…

Waxed Flowers
Just when you thought your Valentine flowers were done here are two more tricks and tips to make the last few blooms more then just a memory. Waxing fresh flowers is a craft that dates back to the Victorian era. It’s quite easy and inexpensive to do. It just takes a little practice, because [...]

Caring for Cut Flowers

Always use clean vases or containers. Bacteria in the water will shorten the life span of your flowers. Household bleach is an excellent cleaning agent for your floral containers.
Have your vase ready before working with the flowers. Fill the container about ¾ full with warm water and floral food (according to packet directions). Of course, [...]

Take the time to stop and smell the roses!

June is National Rose Month. Here are a few fun trivia facts about roses and a few beautiful images of roses to brighten up your day!

Since 1986, the rose has been the official National Floral Emblem of the United States.
The rose is the official state flower of: the District of Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, New [...]

Mom Spotted…

Even though the Mother’s Day holiday has passed I am still not done “spotting” incredible women who are also moms. Today, I am recognizing a garden loving mom in my life. I had originally planned to feature her prior to Mother’s Day, but as always “better late, than never”.
Green Thumb Mom
I would like to [...]

Using Your Collections

I tend to have “collections” of things. When I like something I usually pick up various pieces as I go along and tend to display them together. I love to pull the seasons into my collections. Most of the time I have my yellow pottery collection on a kitchen shelf, but on occasion I will [...]

If It Can Hold Water, It Can Hold Flowers!

I think the most interesting floral arrangements are the ones that are in a unique or unexpected container. You’ve seen the seasonal veggie and flower arrangements that I’ve posted recently and how great they look. So why not use old tin cans, bottles and more. Look around in your kitchen, garage, or attic [...]

Tips for Choosing the Freshest of Fresh Flowers

Look for flowers that are not yet fully developed. Most cut flowers, with the exception of some tropical flowers and fresh orchids, will continue to open after they’ve been put into the vase. A flower bud should be just slightly open–this is a general rule of thumb. There are some new rose varieties that have [...]

Homemade Floral Food

There are 3 ingredients that are helpful when trying to keep your flowers fresh and long-lasting. They are:

Sugar – provides nutrition
Citric acid – acts as an acidifier and lowers the ph level of the water
Bleach – prevents bacteria growth

Here are a few do-it-yourself options that I have come across:

One part lemon lime soda (7-Up, Sprite) [...]