How to Arrange Flowers like a Pro
Flower arrangement requires great skill. However, even if you lack the experience, you can still arrange flowers for an occasion by following the instructions in this article.
As you read this, you can learn the following;
* How to Plan a Flower Arrangement
* How to Prepare Flowers and Materials for your Flower arrangement
* How to Arrange Flowers
Every type of flower is either gathered from the garden, bought from a florist, collected by the roadside or borrowed from a neighbor.
Irrespective of the source of the flower, they all have their individual characteristics that determine how they should be arranged. Just like humans, some flowers get along with better than others. To know which get along, you may have to combine and observe them first.
If you want to learn how to arrange flowers, then you should try starting from a single variety of flower.
Planning Your Flower Arrangement
Choose In-Season Flowers: It costs less money if you choose in-season flowers; this becomes important if the flower arrangement is for a noteworthy occasion like a special birthday party or a wedding anniversary.
Choose a Vessel: Your style of flower arrangement affects the type of vessel that suits your flower arrangement.
Choose Flowers with Complementary Colors: When selecting the flowers to use for your flower arrangement, it is important to select flowers with colors that match the color of other decorations and the mood of the event. Complimentary colors give your flower arrangement a varied and cheerful look. As such, you can choose to mix flowers that are orange and red, or you may opt for flowers that have colors like purple and pink, and then add baby’s breath for softness.
Add Some Texture: Flower arrangement mustn’t just be about flowers. You can add some woody stalks, greenery, or any item that is appropriate for the event. For a more seasonal event, you should consider adding items like sprigs of holly, pine cones, bunches of berry, and other vegetables and fruits.
Consider the Location: You must be aware of the location and the reason for the arrangement. Consider the general mood and color scheme of the room so that your flower arrangement and the event mood can match. For example, you can add a bright color to the hallway if it’s dark.
Prepare the Flowers and Materials
Gather the Necessary Materials: Before you start arranging the flowers, you should ensure that you have all the materials you need nearby. Depending on the type of flower you’re arranging, you may have to all or some of the following available;
* A garden clipper or a knife for cutting the flower stems
* Your flower selection
* Flower frog or floral foam to make sure that flowers stay intact in containers with a wide mouth
* Preservative solution for keeping your flowers fresh
* A vessel for your flowers
* A spacious and clean work environment
* An elastic band to hold your flowers together
Strip the leaves and cut the stems: Before you arrange the flowers, you should first cut the stems. This makes them stay fresh as this means the flowers can absorb water easily. Use the garden shears or the sharp knife you’ve gathered in the step above to cut the stems diagonally.
Prepare the vessel: The next thing is to prepare the bowl, box, vase, or any vessel you want to use for your flower arrangement. Ensure that the vessel is free from dirt and residue.
Add water: You should add water to the vessel if you’re using a grid, flower frog, or you’re leaving the flowers to stand without any aid. You don’t have to add water if you’re using floral foam.
Making the Arrangement
First, add flowers that are large and dominant: When you start arranging the flowers, start with the most prominent or the largest variety of flowers, rather than just choosing them at random. This way, it is easier to arrange your flowers in a balanced way.
Also, you should arrange your flower container in a circle; this way, it is easy to compare them for uniformity. Turn each flower container to check if the flowers look even at all sides.
Layer the flowers as you go: Once you’ve ensured that the first circle of flowers looks perfect for the occasion, move over to the second circle, and use another variety of flower. The first circle of flowers should be outside. You can ensure that this is perfectly arranged by leaving the stems of the inner flower slightly shorter than the outside flowers, this should give you a domed effect if done perfectly. Continue layering other varieties of flowers to the flower vase this way.
Let each layer have an odd number of flowers: A very important rule when arranging flowers is to ensure that you used an odd number of each flower variety. For example, you can use seven White roses in the outer circle, five red roses in the inner circle, and spread three springs of baby’s breath between the two varieties.
Ensuring that you use an odd number of flowers for each layer makes your flowers look more organic and less uniform.
Pay attention to the width and height of your arrangement: This is an important factor you have to consider if you want your flower arrangement to be perfect.
To have a perfect arrangement in the container, the height of your flower arrangement should be one and a half times the height of the container holding the flowers.
There is no rule for the width of the flower arrangement, but you should ensure that the width compliments the height. You can ensure that the width and height are perfect by rotating the container as you work on the flowers.
Add greeneries, berries, and leaves last: After arranging your flowers appropriately, you can add some berries, leaves, and other decorations to make it look good.
Greenery is important to your flower arrangement because it helps to separate the bloom to make them more noticeable. It also gives air room to circulate between the flower arrangements; this way, they can stay fresh during the occasion. Greenery also helps to improve the texture.
