Flowers for Friday

"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks." Tennessee Williams

Almost every Friday, as many of my faithful readers know by now, I indulge in a bunch of whichever flowers are freshest.  For a mere eight or ten dollars, I enjoy at least a week of delightful blooms.  Today I discovered petite lavender calla lilies and freesia at Trader Joe's. As they sit in a trio of my favorite little vases, I am taking in the sweet floral aroma of this simple weekly pleasure. 

You don't need to be a floral designer or a Martha to arrange your posies in an elegant fashion.  If you stick to a few simple rules, your flowers will consistently look chic:

• Stick to flowers in the same color family OR of the same variety.  Choose all pink peonies, roses and rannuculus OR choose many different shades of tulips.  If you limit either your color palette or your type of flower, your arrangement will look more effortlessly cohesive.  When in doubt, nothing beats the grace and polish of simple, pristine white roses.
• If you favor a clean, simple arrangement, clear hair rubber-bands help keep your bouquet tight and tidy.  Collect your flowers into a loose bouquet with your hands and then secure with the clear band.  Trim the flowers to the same length.  
• Select either an assembly of bud vases OR one giant statement vase to create visual impact.
• Consider using non-traditional containers.  Float an opening rose in a tea cup or display a bunch of calla lilies in a champagne flute.   Interesting vases make your arrangements appear less fussy and more artful.
• Skip the "filler flowers" like greenery and baby's breath and fern.  A robust bunch of blooms looks more lovely than an FTD-style arrangement. 
• Trim the flower stems and change the water every couple of days.  Fresh water will keep your buds blooming much longer and a snip of the stem will allow the flower to soak up more water. 
• Display your flowers somewhere prominent in your home.  Don't stick the vase in a guest bath or a formal dining room where you won't see them.  Put a vase next to your kitchen sink or on your coffee table.  As you complete the drudgery of your chores, those flowers will bring you limitless joy.