Flower bouquets for the rest of us. Simple steps that anyone can follow to create a pretty bouquet in no time.

I enjoy growing flowers and creating bouquets for myself and to give away. When I first started creating bouquets, my fledgling efforts looked like “child’s play”. Basically, I just stuck flowers in the vase with no thought of how to place them.

As I continued to grow flowers, I developed a deeper understanding of how to arrange them. I filled my bookshelves with beautiful ‘flower arranging’ books that I’ve used to educate myself in the art of arranging my garden grown stems.

But I found the complicated rules and arrangements in many of the professional books difficult to achieve. Designer arrangements often use massive amounts of flowers. And they can take up the whole dining room table when displayed.

My versions NEVER looked like their finished products, no matter how hard I tried.

So I kept creating bouquets, and I’ve learned some easy techniques for flower arranging. I want to share some practical ideas to help you create a gorgeous bouquet. Simple steps just about anyone can master.

How to Create a Bouquet…

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

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Before you get started, make sure you have everything you need. Here’s a list of supplies that will come in handy as you create your bouquets.

Supplies…

• Sharp scissors or garden shears
• Floral Preservative
• Vase or container
• Flower frog, floral tape or strong stems for flower support
• Variety of flowers and greenery

When choosing your flowers you can select complementary colors or monochromatic shades. You want your flowers to play well together, so select colors that will look attractive in the same bouquet. If using a variety of colors, limit to 3-5 different colors at the most.

In selecting your vase, choose one that will be a good fit for the number of flowers you are using. You don’t want an enormous vase for just a few stems, and you don’t want to cram too many flowers into a small-size vase. Cut extra flowers when harvesting to make sure you have enough. If you end up with too many flowers you can always create a mini-bouquet or two.

TIP: Always start with a clean vase to assure you aren’t contaminating your bouquet with bacteria.

Do you need help to grow flowers for your bouquets? Check out this post on How to Create a Cutting Garden. For a deeper look at growing a cutting garden, you might find my Ultimate Cutting Garden Guide helpful.

Step 2: Prepare Your Flowers

After harvesting your flowers, allow them to condition first before using them. Conditioning your flowers means giving them time to rehydrate before you use them. This will give them a longer vase life. To condition, place your cut stems in a clean bucket of tepid water. Allow them to sit in a cool, shaded area for a few hours before using them.

Now fill your vase with room temperature water and mix in some floral preservative. As you begin to use each flower, trim the bottom leaves from the stalk. You want to remove any foliage that will be below the waterline. These leaves can rot quickly and will shorten the life of your bouquet.

Work with one stem at a time. Trim the leaves off and then re-cut the stem at a 45-degree angle and immediately place it in your vase.

Types of Flowers…

Before we look at arranging your garden flowers, let’s look at the various options you might want to include in your bouquets. There are five distinct types of stems.

1. Focal or main flower… this is the star of the show in your bouquets. This standout could include sunflowers, lilies, peonies, dahlias, and ranunculus.
2. Spikes… these types of flowers can add height and interest to your bouquets. They would include flowers such as snapdragon, foxglove, speedwell, salvia, and gladiolas.
3. Round… these are the mainstays of the garden and your bouquets. There are so many choices for this round shape depending on the season. They include hydrangea, cosmos, dahlia, zinnia, sweet William, sunflowers, and black-eyed Susan.
4. Filler flowers and greenery… this could include herbal stems such as oregano, sage, and basil. You could use stems from shrubs such as boxwood, lilac, viburnum. Include feverfew, bells of Ireland, and dusty millier. Even fruit and vegetable greens such as tomato stems and berry branches can work as a filler.
5. Lacy and Airy… these lovely flowers add interest to your bouquets. They include Ammi, queen Anne’s lace, yarrow, and baby’s breath. There’s also a variety of grasses that you could include in your bouquets.

As you begin to create your bouquets, consider using some flowers from each of these 5 categories to create an attractive arrangement. Also, use what you have in your yard and garden. When you look around, you might discover the perfect stems for your bouquets.

TIP: When cutting flowers to use in your bouquets, try to cut the stems as long as possible. This makes arranging your flowers easier.

Step 3: Arrange Your Flowers

Start with the heaviest flower stems. These stems can help support the other flowers especially if you’re not using a flower frog, floral foam, chicken wire, or floral tape. Place these flowers so they lean against the sides of your vase with the stems crisscrossing at the bottom.

These sturdy stems act as a framework to hold the other flowers in place. You could also use stalks of greenery or even small branches in place of these flowers to give your bouquet support.

Next, fill in with your round flowers. Be sure that you arrange your flowers so they’re not all at the same height. You’ll want your flowers to be slightly taller in the center and taper down at the sides.

As you continue to add in your flowers, you can also include some filler flowers, greenery, and a few spikes. These stems add texture and variety to your bouquet.

Now it’s time to add your star flower to the vase. Pick one showy flower to be the main attraction in your bouquet. Place this flower to the right or left of the center of your vase. This could be a single stem or several smaller ones grouped together. Continue to add in your filler flowers as needed.

Finally, incorporate several stems of your lacy/airy flowers to finish up. You might also consider including some flowers or greenery that will drape gently over the sides of your vase.

TIP: Remember the rule of 3’s… we find odd numbers more appealing. So add flowers in multiples of 3, 5, or 7 rather than even amounts.

Your bouquet can take on a symmetrical appearance, or you might choose an asymmetrical style. It’s really up to you. Usually, the symmetrical style bouquets are the easiest to create. As you become more confident in your arranging, you might try some asymmetrical styles.

TIP: One of my favorite tools for arranging flowers is a lazy susan. With this, you can spin your bouquet while you’re arranging flowers to make sure that your display is beautiful from all sides.

Step 4: Maintaining Your Bouquets

With good preparation, your bouquets should last from 5 to 7 days and sometimes even longer. There are plenty of steps you can take to increase your success and keep the flower show going.

Here are some ways to improve the vase life of your flowers…

• Display your flowers out of direct sunlight, in a cooler area.
• Replace the water and preservative every few days. This helps reduce harmful bacteria and provides food for the flowers.
• Re-trim the bottom of the stems when you replace your water.
• Remove dead flowers as soon as you notice them.
• As you remove flowers you might need to switch to a smaller size vase.

Tip: Practice, practice, practice. Don’t be afraid to just create bouquets. The more you work at it, the easier it will be to put together a simple but lovely arrangement.

Creating massive overdone bouquets are not practical for most of us. These simple steps can help you create a beautiful bouquet to enjoy. It doesn’t take a lot of time and you won’t need dozens of stems to complete the arrangement. And you’ll still have room at your dining room table to enjoy a meal.