Quick Tricks with Supermarket Flowers: 5 Pro Tips

We've all grabbed a cellophane-wrapped bouquet at the supermarket, plunked it in a vase, and watched it just sit there. But Seattle florist Carolyn Berner of Flora Tropica says supermarket flowers can be a brilliant, affordable ($10–$20) way to have cut flowers, with selections improving constantly. The key is making more of the bouquet than what you bought.

Five Tips to Try

• Mix gerberas with homegrown greens. Fill a vase with garden leaves, then arrange gerberas evenly around, saving a taller one for the center.
• Ditch the clear glass vase. Use teacups, woven baskets, vintage trophies, enamelware pitchers, or terra-cotta pots (line non-watertight containers with a hidden jar).
• Make 12 roses add up to more than a dozen. Divide a bunch of long-stemmed roses into several smaller arrangements. Toss baby's breath and substitute garden sprays like Leptospermum (New Zealand tea tree) as filler.
• Change your arrangement to fit the spot. Against a wall: tallest flowers at back, shorter at front. For a centerpiece: tallest stems in the middle, shorter around edges.
• Reinvent the carnation. Miniature carnations are cheap and year-round. Pair dark burgundy with lime green Kermit poms for high-energy color.

For Lasting Blooms

• Be a fussy shopper. Pull flowers from the store's bucket to check for slime at stem bases. Choose tight or partially closed buds.
• Take time to prep. Trim at least an inch from each stem at a 45° angle. Remove foliage that will sit underwater. Hydrate in tepid water for 30 minutes before arranging in cooler water.
• Don't forget to water. Change water every day or two—fresh water matters more than floral food packets.

Design: Flora Tropica (206/228-3568)