How to make a breathtaking flower arrangement
Whatever bloom you choose, it’s your job as an arranger to show off each flower and enable it to have it’s biggest moment.
Like clothing, flowers come and go out of fashion. The anthurium flower — otherwise known as rude boys — have had a real surge. This heart-shaped flower has a stamen that sticks out the middle and looks a little phallic. Baby’s breath, once considered a filler flower in wedding bouquets, has also made a comeback and can look beautiful and field-like if you have a big mass of it. Whatever bloom you choose, it’s your job as an arranger to show off each flower. Enable it to have its biggest moment. To this end, don’t be afraid to trim off any dirty petals or dry foliage. Newbie arrangers should start with a bunch of one type of flower only.
Next you should create a collar of greenery by cutting some lush foliages into a broad bunch. Then, use this skeleton as a base in which to thread your feature flower. When it comes to putting your flowers in a vase it goes without saying you’ll need cold, clean water. (In summer you can even put an ice cube in there to cool it down.) When someone gives you a bouquet for your birthday, cut the stems of the flowers so they can take up new water at the base; this will buy you a couple of extra days of longevity. All of the stems need to be in the water, so if you get a mixture of short and long stems don’t be afraid to divvy them up. Flowers don’t like sun, heat, or drafts. They hate heaters. Your job doesn’t stop once the stems are in the vase. Every couple of days you should revamp your flowers. Clean up ripped foliage, pick off the murky petals, and make the flowers look their best. And give them fresh water. You will know you have succeeded in your arrangement if its beauty makes you take a sharp intake of breath.
Saskia Havekes is a florist and founder of Grandiflora