Flower arranging is a wonderful hobby, and if the cost of florists’ flowers is putting you off, it’s a great excuse to get gardening. From the classics to some unusual choices, or simply using foliage to showcase a bloom, there’s a lot you can DIY without breaking any budgets or having to deal with your conscience!
However, you will need a few materials to showcase your efforts, and having them will make the creation of professional-looking flower arrangements an easy task. Hoping to find inner peace through creativity? Flower arranging could be the hobby for you! Here’s what you need!
1. Gorgeous or Understated Containers
The vase is the basis of your flower arrangements, and you can go for anything from cheap or repurposed containers you’ll conceal with greenery to designer vases that are as much part of the finished arrangement as the flowers themselves.
If you’re growing your own flowers, there will be times of the year when the vase has to do the talking, so be sure to have a few vases that will work as focal points that you merely decorate. At others, you may want the flowers to steal the show, and that’s when cheap or repurposed containers come into their own.
Then, there are balanced designs in which you choose flowers and greenery to enhance their container and both make a statement of their own. Which will you choose? It depends what’s available to fill the vase and what effect you want to create.
2. Make Everything Stay Where You Want it to Be
Most of us will recognize floral foam as a basic for flower arranging, but when you choose transparent containers, that greenish lump of sponge isn’t the best choice from an aesthetic perspective. Colorful or colorless gels, marbles, shells, semi-precious stones, colored pebbles, beads, and even fruit make good alternatives for helping your flowers stay put without wrecking the aesthetics of a transparent container.
A secret that not all flower-arranging novices know is the use of florists’ wire. These wires are discreet, green-colored wires that you can wrap around flower and foliage stems so that you can artistically turn each stem to present the best possible effect. Now that’s a “cheat” that really allows you to get artistic!
3. Grow Your Own
Anyone with a garden can grow their own foliage and flowers to fuel their flower arranging hobby. Foliage is especially easy. Even if the plants you have don’t reflect the florists’ standby ranges, they might last well in the vase. The easiest way to find out what lends itself well to flower arranging is to cut a few shoots and test them out to see how they last in water.
On the flowering front, try growing some bulbs in the garden. Narcissus, irises, gladioli, callas, and lilies of every description are among the loveliest cut flowers to grow, and many of them are capable of lasting and reflowering. Then there are perennials like michaelmas daisies, yarrow, and scabiosa as well as annuals and biennials like Queen Anne’s lace, delphiniums, lupins, and more.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. For example, if you’ve got some carrot plants that you didn’t get round to harvesting, the flowers make a great substitute for baby’s breath. Plants with interesting seed heads make a charming addition to flower arrangements, and even dried twigs can be a good option, especially if there’s lichen growing on them.
Explore Different Styles
From minimalist arrangements to country-style bounty and more traditional florist-style combinations of roses and baby’s breath or even dried arrangements that can last for years, there are many styles to try out.
Always consider the material and the container as well as the purpose of your arrangement. For example, table centerpieces should be low enough to see over. If the arrangement will be displayed against a wall, remember to arrange your flowers and foliage accordingly or your efforts towards the back of the arrangement won’t be visible.
Sometimes, less is more. Perhaps you want to create a setting for a single prize bloom, or perhaps you want the container to take the lead. Informal flower arrangements, on the other hand, can consist of anything from a bunch of lavender to a sampling of just about everything you can lay your hands on.
Enjoy Yourself With Flower Arranging
With a garden to source material from and a few basic florist’s supplies, you’re ready to get started. Give it a try! Flower arranging is a relaxing and rewarding hobby that gives you an opportunity to exercise your creativity.
