Flowers are a welcome addition to any room, adding life and color wherever they’re placed. We’ve gathered a few fundamentals of floral design to help ensure your arrangements always look fresh.
1) Match your choice of vase to your flowers; long, droopy flowers suit a tall, fluted vase, while a short vase or bowl is a great match for shorter flowers with large heads. The size of the vase should be proportionate to the number of flowers you plan to use, while the shape of the vase will naturally impact how your flowers stand or lay.
2) Create an easy color scheme by selecting flowers that are all different shades of the same color — light and dark purples, for example — or that all fall within the same color family. In a warm colorway, all the colors may have a yellow base, while a cool one may have all white bases.
3) Start by creating a grid out of stems or scotch tape, or place a Flower Frog in the water. Any of these will hold your flowers in position, which is particularly helpful in a wide mouthed vase or short bowl.
4) Place your tallest and shortest flowers first, blocking out the approximate size and shape of the bouquet. Don’t try to make your arrangement perfectly symmetrical – nature is always asymmetrical!
5) Put your feature or face flowers in next. Always use an odd number of flowers, and strip any leaves off the stem below the waterline to prevent them rotting in the water. Turn the vase as you work to ensure you’re getting a 360° view of your arrangement.
6) Add any remaining flowers in layers, working them in at different heights. Fill any gaps with foliage, branches, sprigs of berries or other textured material for added visual interest. Combine contrasting textures and balance heavy shapes with delicate to create a stimulating result.
7) Replenish the water every three days by placing the whole arrangement in the sink and running fresh water into the vase until the old water has overflowed and been replaced. With regular water changes and not too much sunlight, your flowers should last about one week.