Practical Uses For Flowers

Here at Dot Flowers, we want you to get the most out of your flowers, even when their vase life is ending. You can preserve your flowers for years to come with our simple flowers and then use them to create fantastic floral gifts and personal mementos with our flowers . But, if you feel like putting your flowers to a more practical use, here are a few ideas on how to avoid putting your flowers in the trash:

• Scentsational Flowers: Using dried flowers to make your own potpourri lets you decide how your mix will smell. You can throw in some crushed fragrant leaves, herbs, or spices to create warm, woodsy scents, or add two drops of aromatic oil in a fragrance of your choosing. Simply let your potpourri sit in a decorative bowl, or tie it up in a sachet to add a wonderful smell to closets and drawers.
• Weighty Matters: Tame your desk with a hand-crafted paperweight. Simply find a nicely sized rock, clean it thoroughly, decide how your flowers will be arranged, cover the rock with a layer of Mod Podge decoupage craft glue, press your flowers into the glue, add another layer of glue on top, and let dry. You might want to add several layers of glue, letting each layer dry before adding the next coat, until you have about four layers. Also works great as a door stop, if your rock is big enough.
• Floral Feast: Ever consider eating the daisies? Surprisingly, many flowers are indeed edible, including pansies, violets, nasturtiums, and carnation leaves. Be sure to thoroughly research the topic before indulging in any floral feasts to avoid anything unpleasant or potentially poisonous, and it's best to use flowers you've personally grown to ensure your blooms don't contain harmful pesticides. You'll find a lot of resources on the subject at your local bookstore. One of our favorite uses for edible flowers is as a cake decoration. Simply take an edible flower such as violets, rinse them in water, dip them in egg white, cover in caster sugar, and leave them on wax paper to dry. You can then eat your violets like candy or arrange them artfully on a cake for a sweet surprise.
• Let 'Em Rot: Why throw your flowers in the trash when they can make such great compost? Using plant material in your compost pile produces rich fertilizer for garden plants and doesn't attract scavengers the way food scraps can. If you've never tried composting, you should start! Pick up a book from your local bookstore and you'll see how a compost pile can cut down on your garbage and turn useless trash into rich soil.

Finding a practical use for your flowers instead of simply dumping them in the trash can be a rewarding activity. If you'd like to share your own personal practical use for flowers, send an email to articles@dotflowers.com and we'll include it here.

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