Flower arrangements are the perfect way to freshen up your space and add a pop of color to the room. Learning to arrange flowers is a fun way to add personality and artistic vision to your home. Here's a simple step-by-step guide for how to arrange flowers.
How to Arrange Flowers: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Gather your materials.
- Scissors
- Vase
- Plant food
- Flowers of choice — You’ll need greenery, primary flowers and secondary flowers for the arrangement.
Step 2: Remove any extra leaves to create clean stems. It’s okay to leave some foliage, but remember that you’ll also have greenery to fill in any extra space.
Step 3: Measure the flowers against your vase of choice and cut to size. Be sure to cut the stems at a diagonal. This will let the flowers soak up more water and help them stay alive longer.
Step 4: Fill your vase half full with water. You’ll want to change the water every three days. If you use less water in the vase, you should change the water more often.
Step 5: Pour the plant food into the vase. It should naturally mix in, but if it sinks to the bottom, stir it until it’s dissolved.
Step 6: Start by criss-crossing your foliage to create a base. Forming this lattice pattern will create a sturdy base for your other flowers.
Step 7: Add in your focal flowers, making sure they are spread out. The focal flowers are the ones you want to highlight. They may be the most colorful, the biggest or just your favorites.
Step 8: Add in any of your secondary flowers. Secondary flowers tend to be smaller and will round out the flower arrangement.
Step 9: Rearrange or fill in as needed. Remove any petals that are wilted and adjust the foliage so that it fills in any empty spaces.
Pro Tips by FTD by Design
Tips for Varying Vase Size
- When arranging flowers in a tall or cylinder vase, it’s important to consider which flowers you are choosing. The vase itself is already large and makes a statement, so you can choose just a few types of flowers. The flowers you decide on should have long and sturdy stems. Find one colored variety that can be used as the centerpiece and then fill in neutral toned secondary flowers around it.
- When arranging flowers in a medium vase you have the most freedom. Medium vases usually have a wide opening and can fit many floral varieties. Try picking a colorful main and secondary flower and then filling in the rest of the vase with textured neutral colors. With this many flowers, it’s important to criss-cross the stems or even tie them with twine so that they stay in one place.
- Arranging flowers in a small vase looks best when there are a few bright statement flowers. To create a more dynamic look, choose contrasting colors and a variety of textures. With a smaller vase, it’s not necessary to fill the base with greenery because there won’t be as much extra space that needs to be filled in.