6 Tips For Arranging Flowers Like A Pro
You've got a vase and flowers and now you're staring at it thinking how do I make this look good? Or maybe you're in charge of ordering flowers for a large event! Here are a few of the tips and tricks I've picked up along the way thru our own garden floral design, wedding florals, events and more. To get started here’s a link to a few of my favorite tools for floral design from snips to water proof clear tape, floral stickers and more!
Here is my full tool kit of goodies
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1. Odd Numbers Win:
2’s company 3’s a crowd….whoever coined this phrase knew nothing about floral design. 3 is always better! Actually any odd number will do. Our eye sees 2 of anything and says it’s a pair, they’re together. Our brain wants to put it in a cute little box and say it should be symmetrical and uniform. Uniformity has it's place, but when it comes to floral design working with odd numbers is best.
If you get to pick your own flowers than be strategic and choose an odd number. Fill the vase with 3 types of greenery, then add in the flowers in batches of 3. If possible, use 3 or 5 different types of flowers.
If you are placing an order for bulk flowers count how many vases you will be filling. Then decide on an odd number of flowers to use, 3 or 5 different types of blooms. Now you know how many flowers to order :
5 vases x 3 flowers (of each kind) in each vase = 15 blooms.
So you'll want to have at least 15 blooms of each variety to fill all of the vases.
2. Clean Stems:
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When we purchase flowers from the wholesale market or from local growers the very first thing we do is strip all of the stems, give them a fresh cut and immediately put them in clean water for them to rest. When stripping the stems you want to pull off all of the extra foliage and leaves from the flower head down. This will make creating the arrangements so much easier since each bloom will be prepped and ready for use.
Flowers are pretty hardy and most varieties will be 100% okay with you manhandling them. Grab the stem an inch or two down from the flower head, grip the stem firmly and simply run your hand down the length of the stem pulling all of the leaves off.
To make clean up super easy you can do this over a large bin or wheelbarrow.
*if you're working with fragile flowers (anemones, ranunculus, tulips, sometimes dahlias - to name a few) go a little slower and gently remove any extra foliage one leaf at a time.
The cleaner the stems, the cleaner the water will be. It makes for a much nicer looking vase arrangement, but more than that it will help the flowers to last longer!
3. Greenery First :
While your flowers are resting in the water get your vases prepped with water and then start by adding the greenery first. Think of it like you are putting in a foundation. You'll add in more greenery as you add in the flowers but this first level gives you a base to work from.
Plus, this first level of greenery will help fill the vase so that you don't need as many flowers in order to make it feel full.
Greenery is your secret weapon to keeping your cost down!
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4. Varying heights:
As you begin to add in the flowers choose them 1 at a time, cutting each one individually.
This is when you really start going with the odd numbers. Add in 3 of each flower and then move to the next variety. Cut each flower so it's at a different height so your vase will have dimension. Work in triangle like patterns until your vase is full.
5. Go for the odd ball:
Sometimes the most simple item can add the perfect ending touch to an arrangement. This does not have to always be a flower! Look at seed pods, strawberry blooms, blueberries still on the stem, ferns, moss covered branches and so on. Every season offers different options for these little 'odd balls' that add unique touches to your arrangements.
6. Have fun!
This really is the most important tip. Flowers are a natural work of art, how fun that we get to create beauty with them. So, have fun finding different vases and ways to put flowers together.
Click Here for my full tool kit of goodies because like any job, having great gear makes it easier! Have more questions? Send them my way, I'm an 'expert in training'. I just love finding more ways to bring the beauty together!
Come join @kellywelk as a subscriber on instagram and you’ll be able to dive into all of the different tutorial videos about floral design.
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