We work with flowers a lot and have
discovered a few tips and tricks to help make
our lives easier when working flowers. Discover
our tips for helping your flowers last longer,
look better, work better, and cost less...all
while saving you tons of precious time.
Use Your Gut Instinct and Forget The
Rules.
You can read dozens or even hundreds of articles
and books about floral arranging, but you will
automatically know what will be most pleasing to
your eye. If the book says "Never mix purple and
orange flowers together" and you like purple and
orange together, mix them together. It might not
be an arrangement everyone will love, or a good
choice for a bridal bouquet, but it if appeals
to you it will work for you. Every time I have
known that a specific flower would be wonderful
in an arrangement and waffled because "the
rules" say it shouldn't go…it has been fabulous.
Go with your gut feelings and you will not be
disappointed.
Cluster small flowers in groups.
I waffle back and forth on this tip and think
that while it is not a hard and fast rule, it is
good advice for many situations. Small flowers,
particularly in large arrangements tend to get
lost…both figuratively and literally. By
figuratively, I mean that sometimes a small
bloom will be overwhelmed by larger or more
assertive blooms. By literally, I mean that I
have often had single diminutive blooms sink
below arrangements or be covered by larger
flowers. They are also hard to grab and
reposition. By grouping smaller blooms in groups
they are easier to handle and make a more
distinctive impression. You can cluster flowers
loosely by just arranging them close to each
other, or actually bundle them together with
ribbon, rubber bands, floral wire, or floral
tape.
A frog is your friend.
While the invention of floral foam caused floral
frogs to almost fade into the background, I
prefer them to floral foam for almost every type
of arrangement. Why? Well, a few things really.
I have had many a stem break or snap while
trying to slide it into floral foam, which can
really hurt an arrangement when you are dealing
with a limited number of flowers. I like to move
things around a lot when making formal
arrangements, and with floral foam, not only is
that sometimes hard to do, but I have actually
managed to totally demolish a block of foam a
time or two. Many florists also believe that
while foam is inexpensive and convenient for
"giveaway" arrangements, it actually impairs the
ability of the floral stems to absorb water and
nutrients and shortens their life. My other two
reasons are more personal. The first is that
frogs are reusable and require less waste and
less cost over time…something which is always a
large concern for me. The second consideration
is that I think floral frogs are cool and like
collecting them. They are very inexpensive and
come in hundreds of different styles, shapes,
colors, and sizes.
A single flower is a beautiful flower.
Everywhere you look it seems all you see are big
and even bigger floral arrangements. Some of
them are even downright scary! But little
arrangements have their place too, especially
the littlest of them all…a single stem. While a
single rose or other flower in a bud vase is
always elegant, I use single blooms in a wide
variety of places in many different ways. I
place single blooms in tiny vases and
containers, float smaller blooms in wineglasses,
teacups, or other small containers, and float
larger blooms in bowls or other wide containers.
Sometimes a single bloom can be the most elegant
and distinctive arrangement in a room full of
other arrangements. I frequently fill a room or
even several rooms full of single flower
arrangements. They are simple, elegant, and in
the cases of orchids and other expensive
flowers, easy on the budget.
Think beyond vases when looking for a container.
I am sure that if you are a frequent visitor to
the site you have noticed that I am not afraid
of placing a floral arrangement in a container
that is not a typical vase. There are many
reasons for this… Most importantly, I like
flower arrangements that are unique and using a
unique container makes that very easy to do. I
also find that it is much easier to find a wide
selection of possible arrangements when I can
choose from hundreds of containers in my house
versus the twenty or so vases I have. Using
other containers regularly cuts down on my need
for more vases, which helps with my storage
problems in our small house. If I use a compote
or mixing bowl to hold an arrangement, I can use
that compote or mixing bowl for other uses later
on, while a vase is pretty much used for only
two purposes…decoration and holding flowers.
Consider any open container for holding flowers.
Even items that won't hold water can be used as
vases simply by placing a smaller vase, bottle,
or other container inside it.
Always cut flowers with a sharp knife or pair of
scissors.
A very common mistake I see people making is
using a dull pair of scissors or cutting
knife…or even worse their fingers…to "cut"
flowers either in the garden or when trimming
them to fit into an arrangement. A sharp edge is
needed to make a sharp even cut that will allow
water to enter the flower stems. A ragged edge
actually inhibits water and food absorption and
will make your flowers fade faster.
Keep your flowers in a cool location.
There are few things prettier than a bright
bouquet of flowers in a sparkling crystal vase
set in a sunny location. But as pretty as that
flower arrangement is, it won't last long at all
in such a warm environment. The cooler the
location, the longer your flowers will last.
Keeping flowers away from direct sunlight, large
lights, heating vents, heaters, active
fireplaces, stoves, and even appliances will
help them last longer. If you just have to keep
an arrangement in a warm location change the
water frequently using very cold water and even
add an ice cube or two to the arrangement every
so often and your flowers will last longer.
Remember that flowers smell.
I know, you are completely aware that many
flowers smell. My point is that you need to keep
the scent of flowers in mind when you are making
arrangements. Most of my horror stories about
flowers and entertaining come from scented
blooms. I have heard of many a dinner party
where the table centerpiece was so strongly
scented that every dish tasted like the flowers
and have seen party guests made sick by the
strong scents of gardenias or lilies in a small
or hot room. Remember that even pleasantly
scented flowers can be problematic in tight
quarters, hot rooms, or on the dinner table. On
the opposite side of pleasant smelling flowers
lie what we affectionately call "the stinkers".
Some flowers just don't smell good, or don't
smell good to other people. A flower that smells
mildly unpleasant in the garden or florists shop
might smell very unpleasant when arranged in a
small room or when all you can smell is the
flower arrangement.
Watch your water.
I have to freely admit that this is one area
that I have been known to slack a bit on myself,
to the detriment of my floral arrangements.
Flower arrangements are not static. You
shouldn't just make them and ignore them…and
then expect them to flourish. With clear vases,
problems are a bit more obvious…if you are out
of water or if the water is cloudy (which is a
sign of a bacteria infestation and means you
need to clean your vase and change your water)
it practically jumps out at you. With opaque
vases or other containers it is much harder and
you to be a bit more careful about checking the
arrangement frequently. I have had seemingly
innocuous arrangements suck up water by the
gallon and bacteria flourish in just hours, both
of which can be deadly to your arrangement.
Flower arrangements don't have to be "perfect".
We are bombarded with images of huge, gorgeous
bouquets of perfect flowers in stunning vases on
the pages of magazines and in television shows
and movies. What you don't realize is that many
of those arrangements use hundreds of flowers
and cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Yikes! When it comes time to make your
arrangements at home it can be almost scary and
disappointing, especially when you are working
on a limited budget. My suggestion? Forget the
extravagant arrangements. While they might be
nice for very formal occasions, smaller
arrangements can have just as much, if not more,
appeal, charm, and beauty. As long as you like
the arrangement, and as long as it makes you
happy, it is indeed a "perfect" arrangement.
Additional Resources
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Flowers A to Z : Buying, Growing,
Cutting, Arranging
By Cecelia Heffernan
An excellent resource that will educate
you on how to buy or grow flowers, take
care of them, prepare them, and, of
course, arrange them quickly and easily.
A great, easy to follow resource that is
full of useful information, this book
will quickly become your flower
arranging handbook. Includes excellent
information about individual flowers and
makes picking and choosing flowers for a
cutting garden or an arrangement almost
foolproof. From agapanthus to zinnia,
this book will have you covered. |
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