3 tips for your best party

1 Keep sunflowers happy

This time of year, you can find sunflowers at farmers markets, farmstands and at the grocery store. As soon as you get them home, trim the stem, remove extra leaves and place in water. To ensure the blooms last, fill the vase with 2 cups of water and add 2 cups of lemon-lime soda and 1⁄ tsp. of bleach.

2 The sugar in the soda nourishes the blooms and the bleach kills bacteria.

2Make the most of droopy blooms

Sunflower heads can be heavy, leading to droopy stems. If any break off, turn them into mini decorations. Simply fill a mini terra- cotta pot with presoaked floral foam and insert the bloom into the foam. Cover any visible foam with snippets of greenery. Place the finished flourish on plates for a pop of pretty that doubles as a take-home favor.

3Turn leftover flowers into bird feeders

After your party, use the remaining blooms as natural bird feeders: Cut off the stems of each bloom; place the flower heads in a cool, well-ventilated space for a few weeks until they’re completely dried out. Then loop floral wire through the flower and hang from a tree branch to create a feeding station.