My Flower Arranging Tips and Tricks
Fun fact about Ashley, I took a couple of floral design classes in high school as part of my electives. I enjoy being creative, no matter the medium, so floral design was something I really liked to do. And I venture to say maybe the most helpful, real-world application class I took in high school, ha ha. I learned a lot about flowers, and floral design techniques and rules (not all of which I remember in full detail) but I thought I’d share how to DIY the perfect flower arrangement.
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I recently picked up multiple bunches of flowers from Trader Joe’s. I like having fresh flowers around, but that can be an expensive habit to upkeep. This is one of my favorite places to purchase flowers because they are reasonably priced and good quality. I always head straight to the “filler flower” buckets. Filler flowers are things like baby’s breath and various greenery. Their main object is to fill out the arrangement, but a little known secret is that most filler flowers last a really long time. I find that most last about two weeks, where most flowers don’t last more than a week. Filler flowers are also very cheap. Trader Joe’s sells their bunches of filler flowers for $2.99 each, an expense that anyone can afford if you’re looking to add a bit of greenery to your space. If you want to take it a step fuller, than you can also grab a bunch or two of your favorite flowers. On this trip, to round out the filler I purchased, I also grabbed a bunch of yellow-orange daisies and a bunch of yellow alstroemeria.
I like to grab bunches of flowers and greenery that coordinate with each other color-wise but are a variety of different textures and sizes to create some visual interest. I was going for a bit of a fall vibe with these arrangements, so my color palette was yellow, orange, and green with a hint of purple. I start by unwrapping all of the bunches and laying them out so I have easy access to everything I’m working with. Proper technique is to always cut your flower stems with a sharp knife, not scissors as it crushes the stem.
For these arrangements, I knew I wanted to mix and match all of the bunches and spread them across my four different vases. I typically start with the flowers, spreading them out amongst the vases, and then fill them in with different sprigs of filler until I get the look I want. The rule I was taught is that the height of your flowers should be 2.5x the height of your vessel, a rule I sometimes break. Aesthetically, I tend to prefer my arrangements to be a little shorter and close cropped to the top of the vase.
Flower Arranging Tips
- You don’t need to spend a lot of money on flowers to make a beautiful arrangement.
- Split up your flower bunches into a variety of different vessels.
- Anything can be a flower vase. A cup, a mug, a jar, a wine bottle- go through your recycling bin and you’ll find some winners!
- Always strip the lower leaves off of the part of the stem that will be under water in your vase. This helps to keep the water clean.
- Use a sharp knife to cut your stems, not scissors.
- Always cut at an angle to allow the stem the best access to drink water.
- When determining the length to trim your stems too, remember the general rule that the flower height should be 2.5x the height of your container.
- Change the water in your arrangements every other day. Always use cool water, not hot water.
- Think about where you’re arrangement is going to be placed. If it’s up against a wall, a one-sided arrangement, you only need to pay attention to the side you deem the front, and it doesn’t really matter what the back looks like as no one will see it. If the arrangement is more of a centerpiece, where all sides are visible, make sure you spin your vase around as you’re placing the flowers to ensure it looks good from all angles.
Do you regularly buy flowers for your home? Why or why not? Do you have any tips or tricks I need to know? Please share in the comments below!
-Ash
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