Everywhere you turn the trees have been blooming. Right now in Northern Cal the Dogwood trees have started to open (although our recent run of hot weather has shortened the bloom time). It is such a beautiful blossom. I was at the SF Flower Mart and couldn't resist buying a few branches--okay it actually looks like a bought a small tree!
There are a few ways to treat thick, woody stems. Instead of just a single, angled cut it is important to open up the stem to allow for more water absorption. One method is to "smash" the stem using a hammer...
...another is to cut up the stem in both directions using clippers to create a X....
...the final way is to scrape the sides using a knife.
Here's my quick arrangement.
The chartreuse vase was perfect with the hot pink dogwood blossoms.
