Of various colors, in vases, to decorate the apartments and meeting places.

My Easter Arrangement

Sometimes I think that basic flower arranging is truly a lost art. There are a few basic principles to master, a few helpful tricks to know and plenty of creative opportunities to make even a casual $5 grocery-store bouquet look like a million!

Let’s start, though, with some flower-care basics:

• Always remove any leaves on the lower stems–both to avoid them getting waterlogged and mucking up the water as well as drawing away water/nutrients from the blooms
• Always trim the ends of the stems before placing them in water, and trim them at an angle for maximum surface area for absorption–they dry out quick and a dry stem isn’t going to absorb much water
• Use the provided flower food packets and mix them with warm water, not cold–it helps the powder dissolve and speeds the first rush of food into the stems [No food? A crushed aspirin or a tablespoon of bleach added to the water will work, too!]
• Top off the water as the flowers use it up (more flowers, more refills) and change it out completely if it starts to get cloudy

So, that’s basic flower care. On Friday we’ll talk actual arrangements but, first, a little diversion into the language of flowers…