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Whether it’s a dramatic cascade or a simple floral arrangement, we can all agree that fresh flowers add a natural beauty that makes any space more inviting. And while anyone can drop a handful of flowers into a vase, there is much more thought and practice that goes into the art of flower arrangement as our flower experts at Interflora Australia do for each and every one of your orders.
In that light, we’ve put together a brief guide for you to get a grip on the basics on how to create fabulous floral bouquets at home.
Rather than choosing every flower that takes your fancy, it’s best to first decide on a colour scheme. For a high-impact floral design, try a mix of complementary colours that will pop against each other. Alternatively, you can choose one shade for a monochrome look which will show off the variety of different hues of the same colour. While you can be meticulous about your colour scheme, you really can’t go wrong when pairing flowers.
Choosing the right flowers can be overwhelming, especially with an endless selection of flowers in different colours, textures, shapes and sizes available at your local flower market or Interflora Florist. Using flowers and foliage from your own garden is definitely a good idea too. Make sure you pick flowers that are spillers, fillers and thrillers. Spiller flowers like snapdragons, ivy, delphiniums and alyssum bring movement and draw attention through the arrangement. Filler flowers like baby’s breath, hydrangeas and sweet william add form and texture without stealing the show. Lastly, thriller flowers like roses, gerberas, dahlias and tulips are the focal flowers of your arrangement.
If you choose white or neutral flowers, go for a bold vase and if you choose to create a more colourful arrangement, go for a simple or glass vase. If you’re building a bouquet to give away, use a fuller vase with a wide mouth to fill in more flowers and foliage for an opulent look. Alternatively, if you’re arranging flowers for the dining table, consider a low vase to ensure you can see your dining companions across the table from you.
Place the uncut stems inside the vase to know how much of the stems needs to be cut off so they are the appropriate height. Cut off any unwanted buds, extra foliage that would fall below the waterline of the vase (to prevent bacteria from forming in the water) and make a sharp 45-degree diagonal cut at the bottom of each stem. Lastly, place the trimmed stems into the vase with water containing flower food to extend the life of your flowers.
The key while grouping flowers is to add contrast foliage of different heights, shades and textures throughout the bouquet. Use go-to greeneries such as berries, eucalyptus, magnolia, ivy and lemon myrtle to create the base construction of your bouquet. You could also incorporate hardy native foliage, native plants or tropical leaves that will contrast well with delicate or bold blooms to ensure your bunch of flowers looks fuller, rather than sparse.
Continue building your arrangement by placing your focal flowers (usually the largest blooms) in the centre among the spillers and smaller filler flowers to create textural elements in the arrangement. Make sure to evenly scatter them and not place them to one side or else they’ll look droopy and heavy, rather than strong and perky. Lastly, add an odd number of flowers for a more natural look.
Finish the arrangement with delicate blooms so they don't get squished or buried by the heavier ones. Take a minute to step back and examine where the arrangement might look a bit sparse. If so, don’t cram in more flowers, rather try filling in a few thriller flowers on the inside and foliage on the outermost layer to help protect your more delicate blooms toward the center.
Our top three wraps you can rearrange at home into a vase along with some home grown foliage picked from the garden are Libra, Leo and Taurus. Share photos of your flower arrangements on Facebook or Instagram after following this easy guide. Tag us using the hashtags #InterfloraAU and #AlwaysInterflora.