Uses for flowers with broken stems

When you order flowers or receive a fresh flower delivery, you might end up with a broken or bent stem from time to time. It’s not the sort of thing that occurs every time but if you do end up with one or two damaged stems, you should remember these great tips.

The first thing you need to do is remove the damaged stem from the rest of the bouquet. Take note of the length of the stem above the break. If you have enough of a stem to work with, you can cut the stem just above the break and place it in an appropriate vase or glass. Really short stems will need particularly short vases. You could even use a small bowl and float the flower on top.

If you have just one short-stemmed flower and you’d like to make something a bit more impressive, you can select two more flowers from the bunch and cut their stems too so that you make an even more beautiful mini bouquet.

Another great use for short-stemmed flowers is to wear them. You can make part of your bouquet a part of your wardrobe for the day by slipping the flower behind your hair or pinning it to your shirt or dress.

Once the flower starts to wilt, just like the rest of your bouquet, you need not throw it away. You can put the petals to good use by drying them out and making potpourri. Make sure that you remove the petals and spread them out over a flat surface so that they can dry out faster.

If you want to preserve the flower in its original form, you can hang it upside down and allow it to dry out or you can place it in a press for a couple of weeks. Dried flowers, pressed flowers, and even dried or pressed petals can be used in many different ways. One such example is to use these flowers to decorate gift boxes, gift bags, and cards. Remember that dried and pressed flowers should always be stored in a cool, dry, dark place. This will help keep them in the best possible condition for use months later!