Monday, May 16, 2011

Flower Arranging 101:

Don’t be afraid of arranging flowers. First select flowers based on how they will look grouped together as a bouquet … keeping size and colors in mind. Remember to include some greenery in your selection. Next choose a container. You can use just about anything from a formal elegant vase to a casual and whimsical container … Just as long as it holds water. (Otherwise unusable containers can be lined with a strong plastic bag or plastic cup.) Now create some structure to hold the stems. There are commercially available floral frogs with spikes to hold your flowers. Other methods use greenery or branches woven together for support. You can even use a chicken wire ball dropped into the container. Special floral foam called Oasis can be purchased from the flower shop. Next decide on the shape you would like to achieve. Shapes include all-around, fronted, or asymmetrical. Outline your design with your tallest flowers and fill in with the other flowers … cutting and removing any foliage from the stems as needed. Greenery also adds shape and dimension to the overall design. Flower arranging is an expressive art form. Have fun with it! Admire your handiwork and keep the water clean and topped up.
Posted by Mary