Southern Blooms and Sunday Mornings

One of my favorite memories growing up was spending weekends at Grandma’s house—especially around late March when her camellia shrub was in full bloom. The camellia bush is the epitome of timeless Southern charm. If you’re from the South, you know what I mean. Every bloom is a masterpiece, each one perfect in its own unique way.

After her Sunday morning coffee and my scrambled eggs were finished, she would take me outside to cut fresh camellia blooms to bring inside. She always said that “flowers brighten up a room and a spirit.” She loved all flowers, no matter the variety or the color. While camellias aren’t considered the “best” cut flower, they will always hold a special place in my heart—and I will forever remember her each time I see one.

No matter the time of year, Grandma always had flowers in vases throughout the house, and I always wondered how she made them last so long. When I got older and found my own love for growing sunflowers and zinnias, I finally asked her for “the secret” to lasting flower arrangements.

Her tips were simple:

• Always cut your flowers in the morning or late evening (when they’re most hydrated).
• Use sharp, clean tools (try not to use scissors—they can crush stems).
• Always cut stems at an angle (a 45-degree angle, to be exact).
• Strip the leaves that fall below the waterline (to help prevent bacterial growth).
• Place your stems in lukewarm water immediately after cutting.
• She would make her own floral preservative mix: 1 tsp. sugar + 1 tsp. white vinegar + 1 qt. warm water.
  (Do I know if this actually worked? No—but I do know her flowers always lasted for weeks on end.)
• Keep your arrangements out of direct sunlight.

With every flower seed I plant in the soil and every bloom that awakens in the garden, no matter how old I get, she is always there. Even now, when I step out into my own garden and clip a few zinnias or sunflowers for the house, I can hear her voice—soft and steady—reminding me to angle that cut just right. I may never have her magic touch, but I carry her love for flowers in every arrangement I make.

Grandma and that camellia bush may be gone now, but the memory of those weekends, that kitchen full of light and blooms, and her simple joy in sharing beauty—that stays blooming in me.

And maybe that’s the real secret—not just how to keep flowers fresh, but how to keep love and the memories blooming long after the petals fall.