When you watch a Nancy Meyers movie—Father of the Bride, Something's Gotta Give, It's Complicated, to name a few—two things are guaranteed: There will be a relationship that starts off a little rocky but makes your heart swoon in the end, and there will be a gorgeous kitchen where some of said romance takes place. And in those kitchen scenes, whether it's the backdrop of a lover’s quarrel or a late-night snack, there is always a bouquet of flowers looking fresh as can be. You'll never see a wilted petal or a drooping stem—and it turns out, this may not simply be the magic of the movies. The director herself just took to Instagram to share a hack that she says made her tulips last two weeks.
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Nancy Meyers shared a tip that will make your spring tulips last.
It's no surprise that Nancy Meyers' kitchen is just as gorgeous as the ones in her films, but there was a surprise in the peek she gave at her perfectly Something's Gotta Give-esque space on Instagram earlier this week: The gorgeous white tulips displayed on her marble (of course!) countertop had lasted two weeks. Not only that, but they seemed to still have a lot of life left in them. I happened to have just tossed a five-day old bouquet of wilted pink tulips in the trash before I came across her post, so it felt extra poignant.
"@thisoakhouse told me to put a penny in the water with my tulips," she wrote. "These tulips have been frozen like this for almost 2 weeks."
I immediately wished she had posted this amazing hack a week earlier—and I wasn't the only one who was impressed.
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Commenters shared their tips as well.
ShutterstockThe internet was abuzz over Meyers' post. One comment responded, "Probably the most useful thing we’ve read on instagram today!"
Others shared their own tips for making stems last. "Trim tulips when you get them home, place in water and keep them tied up as a bunch for a couple of hours. This allows the water to go up the stem and keeps them from drooping!" a commenter wrote.
"PS An aspirin works pretty well too," chimed in another.
People also suggested putting vodka in the water, or piercing the stem with a needle—but the penny hack seems a whole lot easier. It also appears to work for other cut flowers as well, according to one commenter who uses it with roses.
Naturally, one commented weighed in with what we were all thinking: "YOU HAVE 'THE KITCHEN' ❤️❤️❤️! The one we all want from your FANTASTIC movie, Something’s Gotta Give!!!!!!! And cool about the tulips."
Copper is a fungicide.
ShutterstockNancy Meyers (and her daughter, Annie Meyers-Shyer of @thisoakhouse, whom she got the tip from) is not the only one who swears by the penny trick. Southern Living reports that although there are many old wives' tales that claim to make flowers last, the most effective (and cheapest) way is to drop a copper penny at the bottom of your vase.
According to the publication, that's because copper is a fungicide, so it kills the bacteria that would grow in the water, making your flowers wilt away before their time.
The penny trick not only makes them last longer, it also may be the reason Meyers' tulips are still standing so straight. House Beautiful says a penny in the water will make it so your flowers don't droop, as tulips so often do.
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The type of penny matters.
iStockMany of the commenters on Meyers' post mentioned that not all pennies will do the trick, and Southern Living reported this as well.
Ideally, you should use a penny minted before 1982, because they were made with 95 percent copper. Pennies minted after 1982 are made of 97.5 percent zinc with just a thin copper coating, so they do not have the same fungus-killing capabilities.
So, next time you're heading to the florist or decide to pick up a bouquet at your local grocery store, do a little digging through your change jar for an old penny. You'll be sure to get your money's worth!
