Preserve First, Then Compost Valentine’s Day Flowers

Don’t know what to do with that beautiful bouquet of Valentine’s Day flowers from your sweetie now that they’ve wilted and withered? Rather than tossing them in the trash, consider some other options.

To extend the life of your flowers, use warm water in the vase, and change it out every two days. Photo: Organic Bouquet

Composting dead flowers is a great way to produce a natural fertilizer for lawns and gardens. Robert McLaughlin, CEO of Organic Bouquet, says the flowers – stems and all – can be easily composted.

“Composting is allowing the natural decay of organic matter for the purpose of creating a tea that can be used as a natural fertilizer for your lawn, garden or flower beds,” says McLaughlin. “You can buy compost bins or build a small box outside for all your organic waste from flowers.”

As flowers begin to die, individual buds can removed from the bouquet and added to begin composting. McLaughlin says even a single flower can spruce up a table arrangement.

“Some flowers die faster than others so you can take out the bad and cut down stems into smaller and smaller bunches each day,” says McLaughlin.

These can be cut up and added, most likely alongside table scraps, to any organic-based compost, but McLaughlin also says hanging bouquets upside down to dry them and using the dried flowers is also an idea.

“After the flowers have died, they can be used as potpourri,” says McLaughlin. “Or dry [or] flatten for accents in artwork or frames.”

Getting the most from Valentine’s Day flowers begins with keeping them alive for as long as possible, too. Organic Bouquet offers expert care tips to extend the life of the flowers including using warm water in the vase, cleaning the vase every two days and removing the outer layer of roses known as the “guard petals.”

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