A few days ago I noticed that my favorite flowers were in FULL BLOOM (almost PAST full bloom! yikes!) and I hadn’t cut any yet!
I LOVE purple coneflower and shasta daisies.
I have planted them in several different places in my yard and when they are in full bloom they make GREAT cut flower arrangements.
The only problem with DIY cut flower arrangements is they don’t come with those little packets of flower preservative like bouquets from a florist do. :-)
Embarrassingly, I never thought to make my own, until this year!
Since making my own flower preservative was a new concept to ME….I figured there might be a few other people out there who it might be “new” to as well. So I’m sharing! I hope you find it helpful!
Purple Coneflower and Shasta Daisies in my flower beds. :-)
I looked at literally dozens of “recipes” for this….and they were all basically the same.
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon household bleach
- 2 teaspoons lemon (or lime) juice
- 1 quart of lukewarm water
Instructions
Fill a container with 1 qt. of warm water.
Add 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. chlorine bleach and 2 tsp. lemon or lime juice to the warm water.
Place a lid on the container, and shake.
Pour into flower vase (or mason jar). :-)
Now get out there and cut some flowers! What are you favorite cut flower combos? I’d love to know!
thanks so much for this recipe-I plan to make a batch today!
If you were to substitute powdered bleach for liquid, would the measurement stay the same? I just know that if I try to measure 1 spoon of bleach, it will be all over the place LOL I am clumsy like that.
Oh and my favorite fresh cut flowers are from spring, daffodils and tuilps, beautiful!
Tanya….I would think powdered bleach would work just as well. Trust me….I understand the clumsy thing! lol.
I have always heard you could just use an asprin. Now whether or not baby asprin or regular…am not sure. either way…now I got another great tip from ya! thanks! :)
Oh yea…my favorite flowers…the big expensive bouquets that krogers can’t sell and mark down to like 5.00 from 20.00. Can’t beat that! :) lol
I grow my own Zinnia’s every year! They start blooming in June and don’t stop until October.
I have fresh cut flowers all summer into early fall <3
Thanks BUNCHES for the recipe
~K.
Zinnia’s are so pretty! :-)
when I was little, before we moved from semi arid to rain forest, we had tulips and tiger lilies growing alongside some of the farm buildings. I LOVED it when they bloomed, and that’s still one of the best combinations ever IMO. =)
Oooo…that does sound like a pretty combination! Tulips are my absolute favorite flower. :-)
This year for cutting, I grew 3 different varieties of zinnias (the most awesome cut flower EVER), cosmo’s, and bachelor’s buttons. Also three varieties of cone flower. I’ve had cut flowers all summer — will definitely try this recipe!
Silly question but what if the flowers have been dyed with coloring? Would the bleach fade the fake color of the flowers?
I have hydrangeas, purple and white coneflower, daylilies, lamb’s ear, butterfly bushes and roses that dominate my perennial beds (along with a variety of ground covers and hostas). Depending on the color of my vase, I usually take from this variety as it suits me! I have annuals in pots and hanging baskets that I use as centerpieces from time to time. My crape myrtle is a deep salmon color and a few blooms clipped from their branches look mighty pretty in a crock. Other southern favorites (I’m in Tennessee) are magnolia blossoms floating in a bowl and Queen Anne’s lace picked from an obliging field or the side of the road. Sometimes I just use lots of greenery from the shrubs and add a few flowers. That’s the true beauty of floral design from the landscape — there’s a seemingly endless parade!
Remember “clear pepsi”? that used to be my go-to. I will try this as I normally just add sugar. Yay my Zinnias and my sunflowers. Oh I use the same mason jar as you :)
You mentioning “clear Pepsi” really makes me want some of that stuff…lol I loved it when it came out!
Gerbera Daisys are my absolute favorite. Something about a daisy is so cheery and uplifting. Took awhile to get the husband to understand daisys instead of roses !
When I received some flowers for Valentines Day, it didn’t come with one of those mystery packets…. I talked to the florist and she said to crush up and add 2 aspirin to the water in the vase, and it would do well. My flowers lasted about 10 days…. way longer than I was expecting them to!
Crushing up an aspirin in the flowers’ water and changing it regularly can make flowers last ages. I received flowers and made them last well over a month by doing that alone. :) Your flower beds look amazing!
Cool, I’ve always wanted to find a recipe like this, but never got around to looking. I think I’ll go cut some of my daisys, too.
Love your tips. A friend was asking me how I learned to make all my cheap toiletry items and cleaning products. Sent them to your site, I think that probably 75% of my pinterest might have came from your blog. :-) I was looking for things to add to fresh-cut flowers too and I found that a few drops of Listerine or generic Mouthwash works too.
My fav flower combo is roses with baby breath. Nothing beats that
We had a professor of Horticulture advise to use the plain Listerine type mouthwash (you know the golden stuff) since it contains an antiseptic, sugar, water and everything needed to keep the flowers fresh and healthy for a very long time. Add about a tablespoon to the water and you have to change it out regularly as the water gets cloudy but, it really works!
My fave trick was to use plain old Listerine. I’d usually by the no name brand and depending on the size of the vase I’d use anywhere from a tsp to a Tbl. Works great!
Great tip! Thanks.
Could you substitute vinegar for bleach? Or…is that a stupid question? :)
Bonnie, I found a site that suggested a small amount of vinegar and sugar in the water could help keep flowers fresh. It’s worth a try!
Do you think it makes a difference if it’s scented bleach??
TaylorJade, I can’t say for sure. I would probably stick with just plain bleach because I don’t know if the scent would do anything to the flowers.
I know I’m WAY late, but . . Sweet Peas are one of the best cut flowers ever. They are beautiful and fragrant and abundant — just remember to plant the seeds in the fall for spring blooms.