Learn how to arrange flowers and create a colorful, professional-looking bouquet with these flower-arranging techniques.
Once you learn the basics, flower arranging can be both fun and simple.
This step-by-step guide to arranging flowers will help you put together and display gorgeous bouquets.
Credit: Alison Miksch
Monochromatic schemes, which show off the variety of different hues of the same color, can be striking.
For another high-impact floral design, try complementary colors that will pop against each other.
“The key is to be open-minded and see what you are drawn to,” she says.
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“Being too specific in a search can prevent you from looking at other beautiful candidates.”
However, there are some important steps to take to prepare flowers andmake them last longer.
First, remove extra leaves and damaged petals from stems.
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
If there are unwanted buds on the same stem as a full flower, cut those off as well.
Once the stems are cleaned up, make a fresh diagonal cut to the bottom of the stems.
Apart from traditional vases, she likes to house flower arrangements in woven baskets for added natural texture.
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
If necessary, fill in with moss around the container to disguise it inside the basket.
To ensure flowers stay in place, create a grid of floral tape over the mouth of the vase.
Stick the stems through the holes of the grid to keep them in place.
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you could even DIY a floral frog with a small section of chicken wire bent into a ball.
Use the stems of the greenery to create an inverted triangular shape.
This guarantees your arrangement will have both a horizontal and a vertical presence.
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
Also, be sure to recut stems before adding them to the vase.
see to it to add in odd numbers for a more natural (not symmetrical) look.
Again, don’t place all of the supporting flowers straight up or to the sides.
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Combine smaller flowers in groups of three or five to create clustering, similar to what happens in nature.
Put these in last so they don’t get squished or buried by heavier blooms.
Refill the vase with water as needed to keep the flowers hydrated and fresh.
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
You should have flower preservatives on hand, too.
Flowers should be one and a half to two times the height of their vase.
For example, for a 12-inch flower vase, your flowers should be 18 to 24 inches tall.
Credit: Victoria Pearson
Every day or two is best.
Also, add a floral preservative to your arrangement when you first put it in the vase.
Flowers not only boost your mood, they can help make you more productive.
Research shows that people who worked in flower-filled rooms had better memory retention and concentration.
