post off: are fresh flowers a luxury or a must-have?
Toward the end of winter, I need little pick-me-ups to get me through the rest of the season: comfort food, colorful clothes and lots of chocolate. Another must-have during this time is fresh flowers. Every week or so I pick up a single-variety bouquet from Whole Foods for our kitchen table (and I always snip a few off for a bud vase in our teeny vintage bathroom). In times like these, though, we second-guess such discretionary purchases. But I don’t think I can give up flowers. They add so much life to our space and are a constant reminder of the soft, breezy days to come. What about you — do you have a fresh-flower habit? Have you cut back on it lately? — Michelle V.K.
I completely agree with you. In fact, I just picked up some flowers at the grocery last night… 50% off from Valentine’s day and still look fantastic! There is just something about fresh flowers that add so much to the overall look of your home, not to mention the fact that they make you so much happier when you walk in and see beautiful colors. I may have to cut back over the next couple of weeks, but am looking forward to my bulbs blooming and the farmer’s market opening in the next few months where I can always find beautiful flowers for less.
Well,
I know just what you mean, I think that the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you are a thrifty chic, then the supermarket or flower stand can always do, for a quick burst of color!
A floral shop new in town is a cash & carry 24 roses for $10….
with a little sprite in the water, and clean water every few days these flown straight from Columbia can stay fresh for 2 weeks!
Break that down in Ahhhh’sss…….
The price is minumum if it lifts the spirits!
lamaisonfou blog
Yes–farmer’s markets always have the most beautiful flowers. And it’s a bonus when they cost less (and are local). If you have a garden, that’s even better! I can’t wait until I start seeing Ranunculus…one of my favs.
I always try and have something from the garden in the little vase on my desk. Even one flower does the job. Today it’s a lovely pink hellebore… (I wish my garden grew chocolate…)
I think if you’re not spending an arm and a leg on them, it’s fine. I regularly pick up a small bouquet of tulips at my local trader joes for all of $6 and they’re enough to scatter around the apartment and make me smile for a week. Like you, our bathroom is uber-mini and having a bud vase with a lone tulip makes a world of difference :)
I love fresh flowers but they don’t have to be long-stem roses to be beautiful. I try to pick things from the garden or buy what’s on sale. I only splurge sometimes.
Only when we had our house on the market did I feel not a twinge of guilt over buying flowers. I never bought anything expensive, but it sure did make an amazing difference! I kept telling myself that I was going to keep up the habit once we were in new digs, but I haven’t really done it. Part of that is figuring out what is affordable that will look right in my new place (the same vase and flowers that looked fantastic in my 1918 house are a little out of place in my 1971 split-level.)
For those who really can’t afford flowers at all (and, like me, don’t grow any), houseplants have a similar effect for even less money long-term. Not quite the same, but still very nice.
I am plant challenged and so I have fresh flowers quite often, both at work and at home. I usually get whatever is on sale and long-lasting.
These days, I consider flowers a small splurge, but that’s got less to to with the current economy and more to do with my neighborhood and habits.
When I lived near a locally owned florist, I would stop in weekly, during lean times and luxe times, to treat myself to some flowers. We got to know each other, she expected me every week, and she understood that sometimes I would splash out on a big bunch and sometimes I could only afford a stem or two. (To her credit, she always treated my tiny little stems as preciously as a big expensive bouquet, adding greens and wrapping them in pretty paper with a ribbon.)
These days, buying flowers in my neighborhood means buying a bouquet, not buying them by the stem. That’s too bad: I miss making my own arrangements and choosing how many flowers I want this week.
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