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. I tend to try and do this during the winter months, as there are just so many other things that I need to focus on that I can find it hard to set time aside to make an arrangement. Sometimes I have even contemplated looking for a winter selection of flowers for delivery so that they are already made, and all I’d have to do is put them in the desired place. As good as this sounds though, I do love the feeling of being able to arrange the flowers myself.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Choose a colour palette – It’s hard to choose one, but makes the final arrangement unified.
- 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.
- 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.
- Start with the biggest accent flower towards the middle – It will make a great focal point!
- Put all of the greens and flowers into the vase at a slight angle – Trust me, it makes a world of difference.
- Change the water every day – This simple step keeps your flowers looking their best.
Have you ever attended a flower arranging workshop before?
See Also: Cold Shoulder Tops – Yay or Nay? and Cottage Packing List
head to toe chic says
I’m awful at floral arranging, so I really love these tips!! There are definitely some things I need to do differently!
xo,
Angela
Jackie says
I hope you find these tips helpful! 🙂
Nikki says
I love flowers too! It makes me so happy to have fresh flowers in my house. My mom’s best friend is a florist, and I am amazed at what she does. Mine always look terrible (but I’l take terrible over no flowers any day). These are great tips. I never buy any greenery to add to my grocery store flowers, and that does seem to make a difference!
Nikki
thefashionablewife.com
Rach says
I always love having a fresh bouquet of flowers! Your tips are helpful and I definitely want to try out using variety of greens! I’m looking forward to when it is warm enough for the farmer’s market to have some fresh flowers!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
katie says
I am helpless when it comes to arranging flowers, so these are great tips!
​xx katie // a touch of teal
John Ferrell says
I didn’t know that keeping leaves on flowers when they are in the water would make them die quicker. I’ll need to ask a professional for assistance when I am trying to arrange flowers for my wife. Thanks for sharing your tips on arranging flowers.
Jackie says
I’m so glad you found the tips helpful!
Tyler Meredith says
I’ll be hosting a dinner for my family next week and I want the table decorations to look nice. Incorporating flowers has always been somewhat of a tradition but I’ve never done it myself. What you said about varying the height could be good to ensure the look is dynamic and fits well with the setting rather than looking bland or forced. Thanks for the post!
Jackie says
I really hope you found these tips helpful and that you give it a try. Hope the dinner is a hit with your family! 🙂
Jessica Willams says
Nice Blog… It is very helpful tips to flower arrangements…
Heather says
Great tips! Many people just stick flowers of all the same growth and length in a pot, and it’s really just a waste of flowers. But adding shape and dimension will make it look like a pro arranged them.
Jackie says
I’m glad you enjoyed the post and found it helpful! 🙂
Roger Middleton says
I liked that you had mentioned when arranging flowers to be sure to add a variety in the height so everything doesn’t look too symmetrical. My wife and I are about to celebrate our 20 year anniversary and I want to get the right flowers for the day and I don’t know the first thing about arranging flowers. I think I might have to reach out to a professional to handle flowers, but I’ll be making sure that they don’t look too symmetrical.
Jackie says
I’m so glad you found this post helpful. And of course, happy 20th Anniversary 🙂
Valerie says
These are such great flower arranging tips. Having fresh flowers brightens any setting.
Simran Ahuja says
Hey Jackie, thanks alot for providing such useful tips. It will help me to arrange the flowers properly by avoiding the mistakes which i used to do before.
Bobby Saint says
Good thing that you mentioned about changing the water every day. Admittedly, this is something I’m guilty of not doing on a daily basis. Moving forward, I will make it a point to change the water on my flowers. Thanks.
Kyle Wayne says
I really like that you mentioned changing the water every day. My sister is looking to get some flower arrangements for a party and wants to keep them going afterward. I’ll be sure to talk to her about finding a professional florist and then changing that water often.
Jackie says
I’m so glad you found this helpful! And yes, changing the water makes a HUGE difference. It’s so worth the extra time and effort!
Jessica says
I’m trying to get better at my floral arranging skills as I’ve got a serious lack of! I did get some super simple tips from a wholesale and event florist on how to keep fresh cuts happy, which I’ve shared on my blog…http://fortandfield.blogspot.com/2017/10/fresh-cut-flower-tips.html
Vicky Rajput says
Nice Blog ,,, Awesome flower arrangements.
Gerty Gift says
Thank you for mentioning that we should try to keep the stems as close to the bottom of he vase as possible. My sister is thinking about doing all of her own arrangements for her wedding instead of hiring someone. I’ve been reading up on all of it, but I’m still going to keep a few professionals in mind before anything is set in stone.
Bob says
I like your tip about using tape to make a grid. That is pretty helpful in using display vases. I’ll have to consider your tips when arranging flowers.