The Best of Home Gardening  

Flower Arranging... 
Tips from a Master Flower Designer

My garden club had the opportunity to hear Master Flower Designer, Becky Martin, speak about arranging fresh cut flowers from our gardens.  Here are some tips that we learned.

Some basics:

1.  Use unusual plants.  Don't hesitate to try designs with vegetables, fruits, seed pods and other natural objects.  Experiment with different plants; try some "roadside-ias" (that is, cuttings from wild plants found by the road side!)

2.  Choose one type of flower or object  to be the focal point of the arrangement.*

3.  Use odd numbers for groupings.  It looks much more natural.

4.  Don't make everything the same height. 

5.  Keep your arrangement full in the middle. This is called the "base."  Darker colors should go to the inside, lighter in front,  to show depth.

6.  Flowers can be as tall as 2 1/2 times the height of the container, no taller.
Table centerpieces shouldn't be over 8 inches tall.

7.  Do not let foliage touch or enter the water.  Pick off foliage that is below water level.

8.  Change the water EVERY DAY.  Keep vases clean!  Using a floral preservative makes a big difference.  You can find a good buy at "Sam's."

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A great idea for a small vase would be to use hydrangeas for the base, to hold things in place, and then insert vines and dark purple and pink flowers.

*Good "focal" point flowers would be roses, hydrangea, lilies, liatris, zinnias;
Cut roses underwater.  Use greens for fill, instead of the much overused "baby's breath."

Good plants for "fill" would be artemesia, statice, greens (like ivy or vines), limonium

Don't forget you can use foliage, like ornamental grasses, oat grass, and woody things like curly willow, or branches.

Experiment, and practice will make you better at flower arranging.  Have fun with it, and you will surprise yourself at what you can do.

-Fran