Modern Flower Arranging

Flower arranging has come a long way since the 60s when it conjured ideas of mature women in dowdy clothes sticking plastic flowers in to foam squares at strange angles. These days flower arranging usually refers to the careful and elaborate crafting of bouquets, bunches and table decorations using fresh, seasonal flowers to dramatic effect.

If you are interested in flower arranging as a career you may want to consider a floristry course but if you are only casually interested, hopefully this article will answer a few of your questions.

Fresh Flowers

Caring for fresh flowers can be easy if you follow a few of our tips. By making sure that you strip back the leaves on the stems of bunched flowers you will keep them from rotting in the water within a vase and bunches will last longer. It is also a good idea to cut stems at an angle when shortening a bouquet so that more surface area can absorb water, leading to plumper, more hydrated flowers.

Remember that adding cut flower food to the water in a vase can also prolong their life and most flowers should be picked or bought when the buds are closed or only half open, so that you can enjoy them opening day by day. Flowers which dry out fade quickly so keep flowers perky by spraying them with water and keeping them humid and away from radiators, direct sunlight and heavy draughts.

If you make an arrangement using foam, such as a table setting, use water retaining foam for fresh flowers and dry foam for dried flowers, otherwise the flowers will not last long. Also remember that arrangements for tables must be kept low so that diners can see over them to eat their meals and talk to each other.

Decorations and Arrangements

If you are a bride to be, making table decorations and bridal bouquets with your bridesmaids can save money and make your bouquets more personal. The same skills can be useful for making festive table decorations too. Short courses can be easy to take and sometimes local florists even offer one-off classes but there are also guides on line to arranging flowers for bridal bouquets and table decorations. Generally speaking, the flowers should be trimmed of leaves and prepared and then the heads of the flowers should be angled to create a plush, tight dome in an attractive shape.

It is more important how the heads of the flowers sit, rather than how stems sit and then the flowers should be bound with floristry tape before being tied with bridal ribbons which are then pinned in to place with pearl-ended pins to secure the final masterpiece. These bouquets then make great decorations for the bride and bridesmaids to hold during the ceremony but the same technique can also be used to make table settings and other flower features.

Water retaining foam with glass, ceramic or plastic holders and tight neat flowers arrangements bound at the outer edges with ribbon make good wedding table decorations but you can make similar decorations at Christmas and for other occasions!