Who is the first person who decided to sell orchid arrangements held together with pink butterfly hair clips? I would like to know.

But a $12 orchid from the grocery store is still a beautiful thing, and I have a few easy tricks for making it look like a $90 orchid from those flower shops we all wish we could purchase from daily. (“Jeeves, please deliver the hydrangea bouquet for the center hall by 1 p.m. I have the gala committee coming at three. Thank you. Give the invoice to my assistant. Mwah.”)

Yep, so, the $12 orchid.

Yesterday, from Trader Joe’s, I brought this beauty below home. The pot is too small, and the plant topples over at every opportunity.

Also, this:

Ugh. The orchid does need something to secure the plant to the stakes so that it doesn’t fall over, but might I suggest using natural materials instead?

To rescue your orchid, take a trip to Michaels and  gather some supplies. The sticks on the left are curly willow, which we’ll use for decorating our plant, and a bamboo stake leftover from a $90 orchid I had. All orchids come staked, but I don’t always like the stakes I am given.

You’ll need a larger pot with stones to keep the plant in place. Get out some raffia and some moss as well. Ignore the cool bark-wrapped wire. We didn’t need it, but it wanted to have its photo taken. All of these supplies are available at Michaels. And all of these supplies can be reused over and over and over again.

Free your orchid from its terracotta chamber and place it in the new pot.

Stick the curly willow branches into the soil — anywhere you put them will be good. They add airiness to the finished arrangement. And replace the store-bought stake  with bamboo if you are so inclined — just push it into the soil right next to the stem.

Fill the pot with rocks to secure the orchid. Also, it looks pretty.

Now, choose a few tufts of moss. They’re going to become cushions for the raffia bindings that will secure the plant’s stem to the stake.

Place the cushion against the plant stem and the stake. You’ll probably want to do this in the same location where there used to be a butterfly hair clip. Let’s all pretend that I’m one of those women that always has a manicure.

Wrap with raffia and tie a knot. Messy is fine. Precision is not necessary. It’s supposed to look organic.

Throw the butterfly hair clip in the trash.

Repeat.

I usually do two bindings per stem.

Step back and admire your 15 minute orchid rescue project.

Doesn’t that look better?

PS I give my orchids 3-4 ice cubes per week, per stem. I’m not going to lie and tell you that I can keep them alive for ages. But a $12 orchid will live for at least a month or two, and that’s long enough to make me happy.

Oh, and did you see yesterday’s post? Homemade Cherry-Almond Muffins. With Streusel on top. Oh, baby.