Okay let’s get the obvious thing out of the way here: sometimes our partners fail at gifting us nice flowers for Valentine’s Day. I know, I know – some people think that Valentine’s Day is just some made up Hallmark holiday marketed to sell things during an otherwise slow period of the year. But if you’re like me, you’ll take any excuse to gladly accept (overpriced) flowers from your man.
In my past experience (I have now guided him to better choices lol), sometimes the extent of the flowers you’re gifted is a half-wilted pack of roses from Costco, or your local grocery store… And with the trick that I am about to share with you, you’ll see how easy it is to turn that bouquet from drab to fab.
I am all about creating a florist-worthy bouquet at home. I always have flowers displayed on my kitchen island – I find it breathes life into my home, and it really is the small luxury that elevates everyday living. So, oftentimes, I am the one buying those Costco flowers for myself and turning them into floral masterpieces. But let’s focus on what to do if he buys you a *less-than-exciting* bouquet…
Most of the time, Valentine’s Day is synonymous with roses, so here’s what you’ll have to do to breathe some elegance into them:
- Take apart the bouquet, separating any greenery from the roses, if there is any.
- Clean the rose stems by removing any and all leaves, being mindful of the thorns (this will actually make your roses last longer. You should always remove the leaves from your flowers because they will drink the water first and take energy away from the flower petals, making them die sooner).
- Cut the stems to the appropriate length for whatever vase you want to place them in.
- Next, you will want to remove any wilted or otherwise ruined petals on the outside of each rose. You may worry that this takes away volume from the flower, but don’t; we are about to make them look doubled in size.
- Now, the part that will elevate: carefully peel back the outside petals (usually three of them), folding them very gently backwards, so that they stay curled back.
- Repeat this for every rose, placing them into the vase after each one is done, so that they sit upright (if you lay them down, the petals could fold back to their original shape).
- Trim and add in the greenery, filling in empty spots, if you so wish to include it.
Voilà! An easy, simple, and beautiful trick to making even the worst roses come to life! Oftentimes, this opens up the roses to double their size, allowing you to create even two arrangements out of your one pack of roses, depending on the size of the vase you’re putting them in. If you can’t find a way to guide your partner towards buying you the style of flowers that you love, then get creative and make them beautiful on your own!
