The flowers you choose needn’t be elaborate, simple paper whites in a clear vase hold up beautifully on their own.
While air fresheners and candles can add warmth and aroma to a room, there is nothing quite like the smell, or presentation, of fresh flowers. Living Healthy reports that just the aroma of certain blooms can reduce stress and boost your mood. With a few tips and tricks, you can gain longevity and save some money by learning how to properly care for and arrange fresh flowers.
Choosing Flowers
First and foremost, there are so many options when selecting flowers. You can order pre-arranged bouquets from sites like FTD.com and re-assemble them to fit your needs, or you can purchase individual stems from a wholesaler or your local farmers market and create a completely custom arrangement. Starting out, try going with a pre-arranged bouquet, as they are already expertly crafted with coordinating colors and complementary flowers.
Begin by selecting a maximum of three colors. Each season lends itself to a different colour palette which can be used as a general guide when creating your arrangement. For spring use bright colors such as yellows and reds and balance it out with some white. Alternately, winter calls for much more greens, blues and purples.
If you are looking to save, don’t do it by buying discounted flowers. Generally, stores discount flowers because they want to move them quickly. If you want your arrangement to have a longer life, opt for full-price stems. The key to the freshest flowers is in the leaves. If the leaves are starting to turn, your flower will follow suit shortly after. The right way to save money on flowers is to pick larger blooms. They will take up more space, requiring less stems and give the appearance of added volume. Plus, they are easier to work with.
Flowers can be placed just about anywhere you can think of in the home. Get creative and think outside of the box.
The Arrangement
The vase you select will set the tone. Milk glass and metal pails with wide mouths will inspire a more rustic, or shabby chic look while a tall, narrow crystal vase will provide a more refined look. If it will be against a wall, you will want to incorporate a fuller front with a flat back, as opposed to an arrangement meant for a centerpiece which will ideally
be full all around.
For large-mouth vases think mass and for skinny vases think height. It is easiest to arrange a fuller bouquet in your hand first and then place it in the vase. On the other hand, narrow vase arrangements are best built directly within the vase.
Pruning is your friend. Keep the arrangement clean and the focus on the flowers by removing excess branches and leaves that do not add to or enhance your design. More is less, even with floral arrangements.
Stem health and fresh water are the keys to floral longevity.
Proper Care
To prolong the life of any flower, cut the bottom 2 inches from the stem and place them in water immediately. Roses should be cut at an angle. Additionally, you will want to rough up any woody stems to allow for maximum water absorption.
Change the water daily. Ideally, you want to wash the vase with soap and water and add a splash of bleach with each water change to kill bacteria that will shorten your flower’s life span.
As living plants, your arrangement will change and continue to blossom as the week goes on. Remove dead pieces and replace with fresh filler as needed.
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