It is almost June and I don’t have a wedding to plan. But, day dreaming about a wedding by looking at beautiful bouquets won’t cause any harm. I tried to choose bouquets that used just one flower because I think that most of us could assemble an only one type of flower bouquet. Since I love peonies and roses, that is mostly what you will enjoy seeing below.
The photos of the luscious peonies make it possible to almost smell them! My very good friend, Becky, tells me that she will cut the peonies from her yard, and then store them in the refrigerator. She follows the similar advice as seen below. First, here is what Becky does in her own words:
love large, old fashion cabbage roses. Of course I share your love of peonies.
“I have not seen Martha’s guide to saving peonies. I saw how to save them on the Victory Garden…a gardening show that used to air on PBS. Just as Martha instructed, you select buds.. ones that are just showing color…. but still tight. They suggested that you take a disposable metal can and melt a bit of wax or parifin ( over low heat, since it is so flammable)’
Take the melted wax to the garden and immediately dip the cut end of the flower into the wax to seal the ends. This prevents the flower from”bleeding” or losing its milk. Then wrap in damp newspaper and place in a plastic bag. This can be stored in a warmer area of your refrigerator. When you want the peonies to bloom, just recut the end, and place in water. They will bloom within a day or two, depending upon how warm your room is.
I now use damp paper towels instead of newspaper because we no longer take a paper. (We read ours online) 🙂
This really works…and it is fun to have peonies in mid summer. I have not tried it with other flowers.”
Here is what Martha says on the subject:
“Peonies make great cut flowers, and they’re easy to store in your fridge for later use. Simply cut them before they’re open, when they’re tight and still hard like marbles. Then, wrap them in newspaper, place rubber bands on the ends, and store them on their sides in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can store them upright in flower sleeves and a little bit of water.”
Notice that most of the bouquets have been wrapped with a wide satin ribbon that is secured with corsage pins. You could also use a family handkerchief to wrap over the ribbon. I am all for using something old and meaningful.
Here is one wrapped with lace trim:
My daughter put a cameo on the ribbon of her bridesmaid’s bouquets and it was a gift from her to them. This was not a bouquet from her wedding, but it is the same general idea:
Maybe you have many brooches that belonged to your grandmother and you cannot decide which one to use. Why not use them all instead of the flowers.
I was thinking of how lovely it would be to make a bouquet from roses or peonies and give it to a special friend or relative. The recipient could put it in a vase of cool water and enjoy it for days to come.
Create and be happy!
deborahwoodmurphy 