Housewarming Flowers

How pretty are these beautiful flowers?! My friend invited me over for dinner last night before Ash Wednesday mass and I eagerly accepted the invitation! On the menu were grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. How could I resist? I took the train back to the city from class and I headed to her house. It was my first time visiting her place and I knew that I wanted to bring a special gift...flowers! A beautiful bouquet brightens any room and adds so much love to a space.

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 I know of several flower shops in my neighborhood, but my friend lives in a different part of the city, and I wasn't familiar with flower shops in her neighborhood. I literally said a little prayer and the next thing I knew, there was a flower shop on the upcoming corner! I love when things happen like that. Praise the Lord! I stopped in and was the only female in a sea of at least 10 males placing their Valentine's Day orders for their wives and girlfriends. I smiled when I saw the florists helping these men pick out flowers. It was too cute!

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After walking around the tiny store, I spotted a few white hydrangeas in a pail and I immediately knew that they would need to go into this housewarming bouquet! We have a beautiful blue hydrangea bush at my parents' house and I have always loved their fullness, color, and relative sturdiness. They'll easily last a week or two if you change their water daily. I've always found it fascinating that hydrgangea color is dependent on soil pH and the presence or absence of aluminum. Soil containing aluminum produces blue hydrangeas, and aluminum-free soil produces pink hydrangeas. White hydrangeas aren't dependent on the presence or absence of aluminum, but require a low (acidic) pH in order to thrive.  Blue hydrangeas require a soil pH of 5.2-5.5, while pink hydrangeas require a slightly higher pH of 6.0-6.2. Just some interesting information that I wanted to share with you :-).

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With the knowledge that white hydrangeas would definitely be part of the arrangement, I headed over to the flower cooler and immediately feel in love with these beautiful calla lilies.

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I absolutely love calla lilies! They're so delicate and look spectacular in any arrangement. Those were definitely going into the bouquet! The florist came over and we discussed the arrangement and I told her my thoughts regarding the calla lilies and the white hydrangeas. She loved the idea and informed me that the calla lilies had just been shipped from Holland! Apparently, they regularly receive calla lily shipments from Holland. How cool is that?! The florist grabbed the flowers and headed into the back to assemble the bouquet. A few minutes later she emerged with this beautiful arrangement. The addition of eucalytpus leaves adds the perfect amount of green. With flowers in hand, I made my way to my friend's house. She loved the flowers and we cut the stems (under running water, of course!) and put them in a vase. They looked absolutely beautiful! What a perfect housewarming gift!

If you are struggling to find a gift for a friend or loved one, consider flowers. I was thinking that I would bake my friend some cookies, or buy her some fancy chocolates, but I chose flowers because they're timeless, special, and especially because she gave up chocolate for Lent! I hope you'll buy your friend, loved one (or yourself!) some flowers very soon! With Spring right around the corner, there's no better time than now...

xoxo