Professional flower designers use their imagination and design know-how to create beautiful arrangements but it’s the insider techniques that help turn their visions into a reality. Here are a few helpful tips that I have learned from florist friends that help with the mechanics of flower arranging. With these pointers you too can get the most out of your efforts.
Get an Early Start
Gather flowers from the garden early in the morning when they are fully hydrated. Place them in a bucket of water for an hour or two before you begin working on your arrangement.
Be Sharp
Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the stems. A clean cut increases uptake of water and helps your blooms last longer.
Tall Vase, Short Stems
If you have a bouquet of flowers with stems that are too short for your vase place clear marbles in the bottom. This will raise the flowers and the marbles can be used as a floral frog to keep the stems in place.
Stem Extender
Try floral water tubes and floral picks as an aid to short stems.. A floral water tube has a rubber top with a hole where you can insert a flower. Attach the tube to the floral pick with florist tape to add height to the floral tube. Fill the tube with water. Snap on the rubber top and then insert the short stemmed flower. Now you can use the flower in your arrangement.
Straighten a Slouching Flower
Flowers with weak or bent stems can be hard to manage in an arrangement. You can keep them straight with a 21 or 22 gauge floral wire. Cut the wire to the desired length and insert it into the stem just below the flower petals. Wrap the remaining length down around the stem.
Create Big Impact with Small Flowers
If you find that small blooms get lost in your arrangements, bundle these blooms together. Hold the stems close to the flower heads and wrap them with a rubber band or florist wire. Push the rubber band/florist wire up the stem close to the flowers.
Keep Them Cool
To prolong the life of your arrangement, keep it in a cool location out of direct sunlight. And change the water frequently using cold water.