Lunes, Nobyembre 2, 2015

Carnations? (Yeah, Carnations!)

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Carnations aren't usually my first choice, but lately they've been my go-to flower. They're SO cheap!! And they can be so pretty when they're bunched together in the right way. The trick is all in how you cut the stems!

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I got three bunches of pink carnations for just $12 at my local grocery store (Fry's Marketplace always has a ton of great options). Can't beat that, especially considering they last for several weeks!

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You'll want to use a bowl that has a wide mouth and is only about 5-8" tall. And definitely use the floral preservative too!

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Here's the secret to getting carnations to look like a more expensive flower: Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut off one individual bloom at a time, right at the base of the stem. If you just cut down the main stem and leave the blooms so staggered and far away from each other, they'll always just look like lame carnations. Cutting them down individually and bunching them up tricks the eye!

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Once you've cut them down, make a big pile of the blooms.

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Bunch them together with all of the petals right up next to each other. And then trim the stems so that everything is the same length (whatever length works best with your vase).

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You'll be left with big bunches of blooms that end up looking more like peonies and less like straggly carnations!

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Once you have them all bunched in your vase, just fluff up the flowers that have sunk down. I also like to pull out some of the little green buds. I think they help to break things up.

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Pretty, right? If I change the water every few days, I can get these carnations to last two or three weeks! Do you have any good tips for getting grocery store flowers to stay fresh? (PS Here's another one of my favorite grocery store flower tips!)

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