I remember reading about a celebrity whose big indulgence was a weekly delivery of fresh flowers – lots and lots of fresh flowers. I remember thinking that, yes, it was an indulgence, but if one had to have an indulgence, weekly fresh flowers was a pretty good one. I also considered that weekly fresh flowers doesn’t have to be an indulgent treat; it can be, with care, a way to brighten up your life on a regular – even weekly – basis.
Right now, when I am itching for warmer weather, I tend to bring home flowers often. Typically, the local market has a special on one flower type or another. Right now, bunches of tulips are in ready supply, and as such grace my kitchen table. But what about the rest of the year?
Look for deals
There’s a small walk-in refrigerator at our local market, and I’ve noticed that most weeks throughout the year, there is at least one kind of flower or arrangement on special. Yes, sometimes they are seasonal in a kind of forced way (dyed green carnations for St. Patrick’s Day, for example), but there is always something. I’m exceedingly careful with the rest of the grocery budget, so just a few dollars usually fits in overall – and I’ve gained a new appreciation for some flowers I didn’t think much about until they were featured in the cold of our New England winter.
Look outside
In spring, summer, and early fall, look outside and pick your own flowers. We have an abundance of daffodils that are the first to pop in the early spring, so cutting eight or ten to liven up the family meals is easy to justify. In early spring, we also look to forcing branches: pruning the forsythia just as it is starting to bud can earn you a wealth of stalks that will blossom and leaf before your eyes, provided they have enough water and support.
Think small
A bouquet of fresh flowers doesn’t have to be big. A cluster of pansies in a juice glass can be just a wonderful as a spray of lilies.
Think non-traditional vases
You don’t have to have vessels official dubbed vases to display your fresh flowers. A pitcher, and old glass milk bottle, a tall and thin bucket. Even the cute rubber rain boots your daughter outgrew two years ago but that you can’t bear to give away yet can be a great way to display flowers. A small bowl or saucer can be used to display smaller flowers. Anything that holds water and strikes your fancy.
The bottom line is that flowers brighten up days. Treat yourself to flowers once a week for a while, and see how that little bit of color and life changes the course of your days.Tell us: What is your weekly indulgence? Comment below!
Leave a Comment