Making Floral Arrangements at Home

Picking up fresh flowers during the warmer months is something I look forward to each and every year. By no means am I a professional florist, but you don’t need to be! Arranging my own flowers brings me so much joy so I tend to have a little more fun with it, and would prefer to ponder over tons of stems versus buying pre-picked floral arrangements. This week, I’m sharing my first floral arrangement of the year and a few tips.

Picking the Right Stems

This is where the fun begins. There is no rhyme or reason to making the perfect floral arrangement in my unprofessional opinion– I tend to go for what appeals to me that day. I always start by looking for filler flowers like baby breath or any greenery. In other words, I start by looking for some sort of big, bushy flower that will be able to fill empty space. Then, I look for a complementary flower/bunch like spray roses because there will be plenty to make the bouquet look full. Go for whatever looks best to you. In my opinion, as long as you have a filler and a few stems to complement, you will be able to create a bouquet in no time.

My Personal Tips:

Play around with your flowers in the vase(s) before adding water, cutting, etc. This helps overcutting and helps paint a picture of how your vase(s) will look in the end.
Trim your leaves and thorns to avoid unwanted bacteria in the water. My rule of thumb is to make sure there’s no leaves or thorns sitting in the vase water.
This may be obvious to most, but keeping your flowers away from vents and direct sunlight can also help extend its life.
Remove dead leaves and flowers as needed and change water regularly. This always helps my flowers last at least 1.5-2 weeks.
I did some research and learned that adding 1/4 teaspoon of bleach to your vase of fresh flowers helps extend their life while also fighting off bacteria and avoiding cloudy water.