6 Tips For Creating A Professional-Looking Flower Arrangement At Home

I love flowers and what they can do for any room. 
 
I took an amazing class in NYC and honestly couldn't believe the professional-looking arrangement I created. 
 
I learned so many great little tips about designing an arrangement and making sure the flowers last.
 
I thought it would be fun to share a few of them with you here.
 
 
TIP 1: GET THE HEIGHT RIGHT
 
Cut your flowers about twice the height of your vase. Simply measure the flower against the vase, double it and cut. Include the flower in your measurement, not just the stem. Make sure not to cut them too short, so err on the longer side and you can always clip again if needed. This tip will help you ensure the overall scale of the arrangement looks right.
 
 
 
TIP 2: DIVIDE THE VASE INTO QUADRANTS
 
When adding flowers to your vase, think of it in four quadrants - north, south, east and west. Add at least one of each type of flower in each quadrant. Doing this will ensure the arrangement looks good from all angles once you're finished. 
 
 
 
TIP 3: CLIP GREENERY
 
Make sure to clip off any greenery that would otherwise end up inside the vase. This helps keep the water fresh and free of nasty odors and bad bacteria that harms your flowers. Depending on your arrangement you can clip the greenery off the entire stem, or leave some as accents. Whatever you think looks best! 
 
 
 
TIP 4: CHANGE WATER DAILY
 
It's best to change the water in your arrangement daily. You want to prevent the water from getting cloudy. In the beginning make sure the water is cool so the flowers stay fresh. 
 
After 3 or 4 days you can add warm water. I learned the flowers drink warm water faster and it perks them up after they've been sitting for several days. You can keep the flowers in the vase, gently hold your hand over the arrangement and pour out the old water into your sink. Create a little space in the arrangement and add new water.
 
If you get packages of powder with your arrangement, it's meant to extend the life of your flowers, but good florists will tell you to keep on top of fresh water instead.
 
 
 
TIP 5: KEEP THE ARRANGEMENT COOL
 
Flowers like a cool environment and this will help them last the longest. However, keep them away from direct AC and areas that get a lot of direct sunlight.
 
 
 
TIP 6: HAVE A FOCAL POINT
 
Just like in design, a flower arrangement needs a focal point. This could be the largest flowers, the darkest flowers (of a light flower with a dark center, like anemones) if the arrangement is primarily light or the lightest flower if the arrangement is mostly dark. The focal flowers are usually a little above the other flowers and placed at a 45 degree angle in the vase.
 
 
 
Did you find these tips helpful? Do you have any other flower arranging or flower maintenance tips to share?
 

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