Garden Roses + Mother’s Day Flower Arrangement

Create a flower arrangement with garden roses and foliage for spring or to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day . . .I picked some flowers to share and to celebrate ‘Moms’!

 Privet blooms in early May here in North Carolina. I cut some branches to fill an urn for an arrangement and added some boxwood sprigs cut from the shrubs for a foundation for the roses.

I started with a garden urn for the arrangement. It’s not watertight, so I placed a plastic container inside the urn and secured it with waterproof floral tape. A piece of chicken wire makes for easy flower arranging to support the stems and is an eco-friendly alternative to wet floral foam as it is reusable.

I always add some floral preservative to my vase water to help prolong the life of my flowers and usually pick up a couple of extra packets at the grocery store to have on hand whenever I buy flowers. As I haven’t been shopping for flowers lately, here’s an easy recipe I use to make my own floral preservative:

Mix one part lemon-lime soda (regular, not diet) to three parts water, along with 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of bleach. The citric acid in the soda helps the water travel up the stems to the flowers more rapidly and the sugar in the soda provides food for the flowers. The bleach helps fight the growth of bacteria, allowing the flowers to stay hydrated and fresh.

What do you do if you don’t have any lemon-lime soda with fewer grocery store trips these days while sheltering at home?  Here’s an even easier formula I recently found using items you probably have in your pantry. . .

Apple Cider Vinegar & Sugar!

Add a teaspoon of ACV and a teaspoon of regular sugar to your vase water. The vinegar helps kill the bacteria and the sugar provides food for flowers. It doesn’t have to be raw or unfiltered apple cider vinegar, any apple cider vinegar will work.

Also change your vase water every other day if possible to prolong the life of your flowers.

Privet has a woody stem. Some people swear by crushing woody stems to help them ‘drink’ but that can cause bacteria to grow; instead use a vegetable peeler to remove 3 – 4 inches of the outer bark of your woody foliage or flowers to help them ‘drink’ and stay fresh longer.

If using foliage from the garden or shrubs in your arrangement, cut your foliage first thing in the morning when it is hydrated and not stressed from the heat. Condition it for several hours, or ideally overnight, placing in a bucket of water with some floral preservative.

 Knock-Out Roses have been blooming their hearts out for several weeks now. . .

I have a double pink and double red Knock Out planted at the front and the back of my Potting Shed. The double red variety is shockingly bright to the point of requiring sunglasses when you look at it. :)

Learn how to certify your garden and create a wildlife habitat in your backyard, HERE, it’s easier than you might think!

Popcorn Drift Rose is just starting to bloom. It starts out yellow and fades to creamy white, reminiscent of buttery popcorn. Drift Roses are comparable to the family of Knock Out Roses in disease resistance and low-maintenance, but smaller in size so ideal for small gardens or containers.

Lastly, I added some Earth Angel Roses that are a little peaked from all our rain. . .

 Earth Angel Rose is a fragrant old-fashioned rose and with blooms varying in color from white to soft pink.

A note about flowers and dogs:

I’m always careful to sweep up any stray leaves or petals when flower arranging and keep flowers out of the dogs’ reach. Sophie in particular is ‘mouthy’ and hoovers up anything that falls on the floor.

 Privet when ingested can affect the gastrointestinal system in dogs and cats, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea and refusal of food. Large amounts consumed can cause loss of coordination, increased heart and respiratory rates and even death.

Sophie and Lola wanted you to know that you can find a comprehensive list of 38 plants that are toxic to dogs from PetMD, HERE.

♥ Wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day ♥

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch