There’s nothing that can brighten up a room like an arrangement of pretty flowers. Flowers add beauty, color, life, and fragrance to an otherwise dull room. You can place them on your kitchen or dining table, on your desk, or a wide windowsill. There’s also something extra special when you put together a flower arrangement yourself. Doing this is not an easy thing to do, and the chances are high that it isn’t going to look like a professional arrangement. One thing is for sure—you are going to take pride in it, and if you are giving it to someone, they are going to appreciate your time and effort.
In this article, we are going to talk about how to arrange flowers in a vase:
- Decide on a theme
- Pick a vase
- Find your flowers
- How to start arranging
- Taking care of your arrangement
Decide on a Theme
Before you start collecting your flowers and cutting off some of the stems, it’s good to have a general idea about what kind of arrangement you want. This is your theme. Perhaps you want a certain color or color combination. Maybe you want to prepare the flowers for someone who loves certain types of flowers. Other considerations include whether you want a bold and bright arrangement or something simple and elegant. Having even a rough idea of what you want the final picture to look like gives you focus and saves time and energy.
Here are a few questions to help you get a theme and picture in your mind:
- Who is the arrangement for?
- In which room is the arrangement going?
- What colors do you want to use?
- What types of flowers do you have, or do you hope to get?
For some additional inspiration, you can always look through floral magazines and pictures online. When you see something you like, you can focus on reproducing it to the best of your ability.
Pick a Vase
Once you have a general theme to give you direction, the other elements begin to fall into place. Your arrangement is going to need a vase to stand in. If you want to use long-stemmed or large flowers, such as lilies or sunflowers, a longer and larger vase is probably going to provide better support.
Your vase can be clear or colored. If you’re going for a colored one, this is another opportunity to complement your theme and flower selection. You can go for a solid color vase or one with various designs.
Find Your Flowers
Once you have the theme and the vase, you are ready to get to the fun part—picking your flowers. If you have a garden, you may already have an assortment of pretty flowers that you can mix and match. If you don’t have your own flowers, you can buy some at your local florist or order them online. Naturally, the flowers you are going to cut or buy should be related to the theme you decided on earlier.
How to Start Arranging
To start arranging the flowers, you need your vase, and a sharp pair of scissors to get your flower stems to just the right length. You are also going to need some water and possibly a flower food packet to keep your arrangement looking fresher for longer. You can prepare your flowers by removing excess leaves towards the bottom of the stems. These are likely going to be submerged in the water, so they are not necessary. You can also start cutting your stems to the right length. Be careful not to chop too much off because this is going to affect how your final arrangement looks. You are better off making the final cut as you place the flowers in the vase.
The easiest way to start is to start arranging flowers on the outside rim of the vase and gradually work your way to the inside. Crisscrossing the stems is helpful as well because it helps to fit in more flowers and provide the much-needed volume for the middle section of the vase.
If you are working with a mixture of flowers, it’s a good idea to begin with the flowers that are the most abundant and then move on to the next. The flowers that have the least quantity can be put in last, and this allows you to fit them into the best slots where they can truly shine. By following these easy tips, you can create a well-balanced and beautiful bouquet. You don’t have to make it complex unless you want to. Sometimes less is more.
Taking Care of Your Arrangement
With your arrangement of pretty flowers done, you are ready to display it somewhere in your house or office. Flowers also make a thoughtful gift to someone who could use some cheering up. You can make your flowers stay fresh for longer by changing the water every few days. Flower food preservatives can be bought and added as well. If you have some sugar and vinegar, you can also learn how to make your own. This mixture provides nourishment to the flowers and reduces wilting and bacteria growth.
With the right care, your cut flowers can last a week going onto two. If this is your first flower arrangement, you shouldn’t be too worried about whether you did everything perfectly and why your flowers started wilting so quickly. It takes a lot of practice to be good at flower arranging. So, keep trying and learning.
Flower arranging is a fun activity to learn how to do. It’s amazing what you can come up with when you stick to a few expert flower-arranging tips. To get started, remember to start with a rough theme. If you are working with a limited supply of flowers and are restricted in your choice of vase, you can focus on what you do have and produce a beautiful arrangement. There isn’t always time to create your own arrangements, so if you want professional flower bouquets for a special occasion, you can order them online from FloraQueen.
