11 Flower Arranging Tips

If you take a look at my Instagram feed, it’s probably pretty obvious that I love flowers. Then again, who doesn’t love flowers? I try to have fresh flowers around the house at all times because…well, they make me happy! And, of course, flowers also double as photography props.

Most of the time, I buy my flowers at the grocery store. Not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but that’s what’s most often feasible. That being said, I love when I can get my hands on a real floral arrangement.

Have you ever really taken the time look at a flower arrangement? There is so much care, skill, effort and love that goes into floral design. It wasn’t until I attended a flower arranging workshop at Wild North Flowers in downtown Toronto, that I truly saw all of that for myself.

As you already know, I’m a big fan of the floral bouquets and arrangements that you can order from Wild North Flowers. In fact, they provided the florals for the Galentine’s shoot I was a part of! I really love the rustic style of their designs, but unlike most florists, they only use Ontario-grown flowers.

In addition to selling their beautiful arrangements, Wild North Flowers regularly offers workshops. I attended one of their workshops in the winter and learned so much. All you have to do is show up. They provide all of the tools, flowers, greenery, and flower arranging tips. I attended the workshop by myself, but it would be even better with friends. I’ll be attending another workshop in their studio this weekend with some of my fellow bloggers and I can’t wait!

Obviously, I’m in no way an expert after one workshop, but since I learned a lot, I wanted to share some of the tips with you!

11 Flower Arranging Tips:

1. Prep your vase – Using clear tape, create a grid at the top of your vase. This will help to support your arrangement and keep your greens and flowers in place.
2. Always start with the greens – The greenery is the foundation of any good floral arrangement. Start with greenery and then fill it in with flowers.
3. Keep leaves out of the water – When you’re adding flowers or greenery into the arrangement, be sure to trim the leaves off the stem. Otherwise, they’ll rot in the water and the flowers will die more quickly.
4. Ensure the stems are as close to the bottom of the vase as possible – This helps to keep the “hang” of the flower arrangement more natural.
5. Vary the height – Mix it up! Use different types of flowers throughout the arrangement, and vary their heights so your final arrangement doesn’t look too symmetrical.
6. Choose a colour palette – It’s hard to choose one, but makes the final arrangement unified.
7. Use flowers at different stages of growth – When some of your flowers are done blooming, others will just be starting. It keeps your arrangement looking fresh and beautiful as long as possible.
8. Use different varieties of greens and flowers – The team at Wild North Flowers uses a minimum of 8 types of flowers in each arrangement, as well as a variety of greenery. This helps create visual interest in the final piece.
9. Start with the biggest accent flower towards the middle – It will make a great focal point!
10. Put all of the greens and flowers into the vase at a slight angle – Trust me, it makes a world of difference.
11. Change the water every day – This simple step keeps your flowers looking their best.

Have you ever attended a flower arranging workshop before?

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