One of my biggest rules in life that I strive to stick to is to always have fresh flowers in my apartment. How Martha Stewart of me, right? It’s amazing what a little vase of flowers on your windowsill can do to brighten your day. Not to mention they make a room smell fabulous. One of my favorite things about living in New York City are the flower markets that line streets in my neighborhood. It’s always nice to, sorry for the cliche, stop and smell the roses on my way home. These markets always have such fresh flowers and you just can’t beat the prices.
My favorite market to frequent is on 52nd and 9th. They have so many flowers and they change their selection weekly. Every two weeks or so I make it a point to pay a visit to my favorite flower market. The guy who works there knows me by now, and usually expects me. Sometimes, when it’s really cold, I stop to get my favorite Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and I pick up a hot chocolate for the flower salesman. Hey, it never really gets above 35 degrees here and he stands outside all day. Brrr. What’s an extra $1.50 every 2 weeks? And he’s always very nice to me. The flowers are already extremely well priced. $10.00 for 2 dozen roses? Yes, please! And today, he was extra nice and threw in an extra 2 dozen roses for $5.00. 48 roses for $15.00? A steal! It sounds like an overkill of flowers, but they all found a perfect place to live in my apartment.
I'm definitely not a great flower arranger, but it works for me 
Now for my Martha Stewart moment of the day. Back when I was a freshman in college, I was invited to be a debutante. I know, I know, try not to hurl. There is a point to this story. During the debutante season, we attended various parties leading up to our ball. One of my favorite parties during the season was a garden party. We went to a local flower nursery and learned all about how to properly pick out flowers and how to care for them. It was at this party that I adopted my rule of keeping fresh flowers around at all times. I really urge you to try it! With the way the world is now, I think it’s so important to cling to the little things in life that make you happy. You don’t need to go to an expensive florist to find your flowers either. Check out some of your local flower markets; you might be surprised what you find. And when you do find those perfect flowers for your home, here are some tips on how to make them last:
1. Fill your flower vases with luke warm water, not cold. The cold water has a tendency to “shock” the flowers and they won’t last as long.
2. When you buy flowers, the salesperson will usually give you flower food. Use it! I can’t stress it enough. It really does keep your flowers going. Use half the packet when you first place them in water. Change the water after a few days and use the rest of the packet of flower food. If you don’t have flower food, place a baby aspirin in the water, it works just as well!
3. Cut the flower stems at an angle when you first place them in water, and again when you change the water. It allows the nutrients to feed the flowers more easily.
Hope my Martha Stewart moment inspired you!
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A: Here’s my interpretation of a “shocked flower.”
“Oh no you didn’t!”
