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Preserving Flower Arrangements

When its is spring time and the flowers are beginning to bloom beautifully.  That means we get to place fresh flowers around the house, whether they come straight from your garden or from a florist. Many of us take the time to put together flower arrangements, and see them last only a few days! Here are some step-by-step tips for extending the vase life of cut flowers in your home.

If you are getting flowers from your garden, be sure to cut them in the morning before the dew has dried, or in the early evening. With stem-cutting shears, snip above a node or dormant bud of the desired flower and put stems in a pail of lukewarm water as you cut them. Indoors re-cut stems on a slant under water. This helps to eliminate air bubbles that block uptake of food and water to the flower.

Prior to arranging flowers, condition them for several hours by resting stems in lukewarm water in a cool, dark place so they can absorb water. Now you can arrange the conditioned flowers in a vase of warm water. To slow aging, place the vase in a well-ventilated cool place giving the flowers plenty of carbon dioxide. There are many commercial floral preservatives, but here is a homemade version that works really well.

-1 cup regular 7-Up

-1 cup water

-1/2 teaspoon household bleach

This homemade mixture works magic because the sugar in the 7-Up provides energy for the flowers, and the bleach controls bacteria. If you need more liquid for your vase, just increase the amounts proportionately. To even further your flower arrangements change the water mixture every couple of days.
Some of the best cut flowers with the longest vase life includ: alstroemeria, aster, celosia, cosmos, gypsophila, lavatera, rudbeckia, scabiosa, snapdragon, statice, sunflower, yarrow, and zinnia. Keep in mind that flowers with hollow stems do not have a long vase life.

How to Create a Five Star Guestroom

Many of us often have guests such as family or friends come and visit us for the weekend.  It is important to make them feel comfortable and give them an experience they will always remember.  With these tips on how to create an inviting guestroom, they will feel like they are staying in a real five star guestroom.

Where your guest sleeps should have clean bed linens, extra blankets, and freshly ironed pillowcases.  To pamper them more you should add comfort items such as a featherbed mattress topper, many pillows, and a cozy down comforter.  The bed should be as comfortable as you can make it.  Your guest will appreciate the work you went through, and will be able to get a good nights rest.

We mean do not crowd the room with little knick-knacks everywhere.  An open clean room will give them space to set down all their travel goods.  Too many objects and breakables can make your guest feel claustrophobic, and that is not an inviting feeling.

A guestroom should have space in the closet for them to hang their clothes, along with several empty hangers.  If you have a chest of drawers in the room empty a few of them for your guest.  The more you make them feel like they are at home, the more comfortable they will be.

Make sure that your guest has plenty of general lighting for dressing, reading, or writing. It is also a great idea to place lamps by the bed, and the desk or chair.

When we all go to a hotel we all have basic necessities such as an alarm clock, phone, pad of paper and a pen, a box of tissues, an ironing board and iron in the closet, and a hair dryer.  These are all items that your guest should be provided with.

In many top hotels guests are provided with snacks and drinks in their room.  Include bottles of water, a bottle of wine (if they are of age), fruit, wrapped crackers, candies, cookies, and gum.  Your guest will appreciate the extra mile you went, and will have plenty of snacks to satisfy their midnight munchies.

Adding a chair to the room is great for your guest to sit at the end of the day and relax.  Sitting in a chair will be much more comfortable than perched on the edge of the bed.

Most hotels have a television in their rooms.  This will allow them to get comfortable in bed and watch the TV, as if they were at home.  Don’t forget the remote control and a TV Guide.

Before your guest arrives go to the local hardware store and have a set of keys made for your house and car if you are lending it out to them. This addition will allow your guest to feel like they can come and go as they please.

All hotels treat their guests politely and with respect.  Don’t forget to ask your guest if there is anything else they would like, and make sure that they are comfortable.