Princeton Happenings

Whether you cut flowers from your own garden or pick up a bouquet at the local grocery store, flowers always look great inside the home. It’s a shame when our arrangements start to wilt and look withered after only a couple of days. Here are some tips for making those beautiful arrangements keep their beauty a bit longer.

<strong>1. Add a little soda.</strong> This may sound crazy but the sugar in sodas (clear ones work best) will help your flowers live longer. Next time you have a glass give the last sip to your flower arrangement!

<strong>2. Aspirin.</strong> A common and well-trusted method of keeping roses and other cut flowers fresh longer is aspirin! Crush up a tablet and dissolve it in the water before adding your flowers.

<strong>3. Boiling water.</strong> This trick doesn’t work for all cut flowers but hydrangeas for example are known to wilt quickly. If yours are looking sad, remove them from the vase, put them in some boiling water for 30 seconds. Replace them back into the vase and within a few hours you’ll see them come back to their original beauty.

<strong>4. Flower food.</strong> This one seems obvious but it certainly works! Typically flower bouquets will come with a packet of flower food but if not you can purchase some at your local flower shop to have on hand.

<strong>5. Just add ice.</strong> If your flowers are starting to droop, try cleaning the water and adding an ice cube. The chill will perk your arrangement back up in no time.