Flower arranging can seem so simple, yet go so horribly astray. Over the past year, I’ve started creating my own bouquets with affordable flowers from Trader Joe’s or our local farmer’s market rather than spending a ridiculous amount of money for pre-made arrangements and I have to say, it’s a lot of fun when you have the right tools and technique to create your own bouquets. Add a little touch to your home with our guide to creating beautifully balanced floral arrangements.
+ It takes two
If you’re new to creating flower arrangements, keep it simple. It only takes two different types of flowers to create an elegant arrangement. As you get more comfortable with flower arranging, you can start adding in more flower options into your bouquet.
Pick two flowers that compliment each other’s color palette. I love pastels, but depending on the season or even my mood, I may stray from my usual choices. Next, find a piece of greenery for the bouquet’s backdrop. This will help your flower color pop.
+ Remove unnecessary leaves
This step is fairly self-explanatory, but I tend to follow a simple rule when it comes to removing unwanted stem branches or leaves; remove unnecessary leaves below the vase opening. This will not only help your bouquet look clean, but it will also prevent unwanted leaves from dropping into the water. In addition to removing leaves below the vase line, continue removing unwanted foliage that may make the bouquet look too busy above the vase line as well.
+ Measure the flower stems against the vase
Feel like your arrangement is a little awkward looking? Try cutting down the stems of each plant to ensure they aren’t too tall for the vase. On the flip side, you don’t want them to be too short either. Measure the stems along the vase to get a vision of the ideal height for your floral bouquet. Then chop away!
If you really get into creating your own arrangements, it’s highly recommended that you invest in a pair of bonsai scissors to make this process smoother. You can find some good quality options on Amazon for affordable prices.
+ Work from the outside, in
Once you’ve placed water and flower food into the vase, you’re ready to begin arranging. According to ProFlowers, it’s best to place each stem in the vase separately around the rim of the vase and work your way in. Personally, I like to arrange my bouquet every other flower or every 2 flowers per piece of greenery depending on the size and quantity of each plant in the arrangement. This will create a balanced mixture of plants within your bouquet.
The more narrow your arrangement is, the fuller it will look
Something I discovered late in the game… the narrower the vase opening, the fuller your floral bouquet will be. Instead of spending a fortune on a large quantities of flowers to fill the empty void of too much vase space, invest in a vase with a narrow opening to save yourself time and money to get the same look for less!
