For the love of flowers, Part one

I have always had a love of flowers. I like to grow them, smell them or just gaze upon them. They bring a fullness to my soul. I use them to bring joy, peace and beauty to myself and others close to me. I can remember using my allowance to buy my Dad a bouquet of flowers every Friday. I was raised near Clement street and there was a flower shop called Pinelli’s about 3 or 4 blocks from our house. I would walk there by myself and pick out a bunch of Marguerite daises or some other type of flowers. Marguerite’s were some of his favorites and I could afford the 50 cent price tag. Sometimes they were died pink or some other color. I’d never buy the blue ones. The shop keeper would wrap them in paper and off I’d go back home to present them to my Dad when he got home from work. I was in love with my handsome Dad, probably like most young girls. I bought him flowers for a couple of years, until my Parents went away with a dear family friend on a grand trip to Europe and while they were away I was raped. I was 12. That blew that rest of my childhood, right out of the water. I never told anyone, certainly not my Parents, until I was in my mid 40’s. I wish I had told them at the time. Life could’ve been so different for me and my family. I’ve gone through a lot of healing and processing in my adult years and I can say that episode is pretty much taken care of in my heart. I’m happy that there will always be flowers to help me to heal my heart and bring me joy, no matter what the circumstance.

Here are some tips in regards to flowers:

It’s true that cut Roses will last longer and open wider when the stems are cut under water. I do this in a cup or bowl filled with water and use sharp scissors, cutting the stems at a slant to bring in more water.

I won’t place cut flowers near a bowl of fruit. The ripening fruit will cause the flowers to wilt faster.

Baby’s Breath the small white flowers often included in a bouquet of Roses will actually foul the water and cause the Roses to wilt faster. It’s best to enjoy the Baby’s Breath in a separate vase.

Fresh Daffodils will cause other flowers to wilt faster, place them in a separate vase for the first 24 hours, then you can go ahead and mix them in with other flowers.

A little sprinkle of sugar in the water with fresh flowers will help them open.

When needing to feel calm and centered, I will take a few slow deep breaths down into my diaphragm, exhaling longer than my in breath.

When I need some uplifting. I will sprinkle flower petals on the path that lies between where I park my car and my home. It gives me such joy to walk on the petal strewn path. Perhaps there is somewhere you can do this for yourself. On the stairs, up the walkway, the threshold at your front door. I even find that sprinkling some petals on the dining table or on the bathroom or kitchen counter brings joy. It’s an unexpected place to see petals. Sometimes I will pick up the petals and feel the silky texture between my fingers and smell them, or simply gaze at their beauty, when I’m near. Sometimes I will rub the petals on the skin of my face, it’s a delicious feeling.

I hope these tips have been helpful!

Be sure and check back in 2 weeks for more tips, writing and photos….