I can remember years ago when we first bought our original home this desire to fill our home with fresh-cut flowers. The want was profound, the ability lacking! I had no idea how to make flowers look pretty in a vase other than to cut the stem and plunk them into fresh water. And while that technique, as rudimentary as it is, does work, there are a few tricks that I had to learn to master the art of artfully displaying flowers. With a few key tricks up your flower designing sleeve, you’ll be creating dynamic, contemporary, and elegant designs right in time for the beautiful bounty of spring flowers!
STYLE TIP #1
For this bouquet I opted for a monochromatic colour scheme. That is, it has only one colour. You can achieve this look by using all green, as I have done, or by adding greenery, but using only one colour flower. Either way, a monochromatic bouquet reads as simple and contemporary, and will always get noticed because of its simple elegance. Even an ugly flower (if there exists such a thing!) looks better massed with other uglies :).
STYLE TIP #2
Banana leaves are a great addition to a bouquet, but they need to be bossed around a little. These are the leaves that wrap the inside of a vase to hide the stems, and the wide leaf greens you see folded up in my bouquet. I like to put three together, fold them over, and then tie an elastic to the end. That way, it doesn’t flap up, so it stays folded over. Once that is tied together, place into a vase with plant food and fresh water. Here is an example of what I mean by wrapping the inside of a vase.
Gather up the banana leaves, odd numbers at a time. Fold them over, and hold onto the ends where you have gathered them. Tie an elastic around the base. Once the banana leaves are tied you can place them into the vase.
STYLE TIP #3
Every fabulous flower arrangement has a focal flower. The best bang for your buck is the hydrangea. It’s a showy bloom, meaning it’s large and in charge. and if you buy them when the bloom is tight (rather than when the flower is fully open), you get a good week out of one, if not more. Because of its size, you don’t need a lot of other flowers in the arrangement, therefore the price isn’t so bad. Here I’ve used a bunch of green hydrangeas, which came with three stems.
STYLE TIP #4
Once you have the greenery in place, and the focal flower set, you need to add a small dash of texture and movement. What I mean by this is something that moves the eye around, that leads the eye all over the bouquet, moving from focal flower and around to the other elements. Adding something textural, like grasses or branches, make the bouquet more dynamic, and make it interesting and more ‘life-like’. Here I’ve added a bunch of variegated (green and white) grasses. I tied an elastic around them, then placed them in the bouquet.
Once the grasses were in, I loosely gathered a small section at the back by the banana leaves, and tucked them into the vase. I then took two separate bunches and tucked them into the vase at the front. What this does is draw your eye backwards towards the banana leaves, around the green hydrangea, then to the front of the bouquet.
That’s it! Four little tricks to know. And now that you do, you can make some spectacular and simple contemporary flower arrangements that will please you, and give your guests something to appreciate when they are in your home!
See below for more of my own contemporary flower arrangments, and then head over to my Late Bloomer section, where I’ve broken down my flower arrangements into colour. Additionally, my Pinterest Boards contain even more floral inspiration for you to check out!
“I must have flowers, always and always.” ~ Claude Monet
Categories: Flower arranging
Stylish Life & Home 