Save or spend: Spend
"Grocery stores and florists don't generally sell the same quality of flowers, and they don't handle them the same way," says Amy Stewart, author of "Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers."Because plants are their main source of revenue, florists are more likely to keep their inventory at the right temperature (near-freezing is best), frequently change the water and periodically recut stems, says Stewart. All these steps keep the blooms alive longer.
Be especially wary of supermarket flowers kept too close to produce: The fruit gives off ethylene, which wilts plants.
