Little Lesson Number Two: Arranging Flowers

By Nancy K. Crevier

Life is a series of tasks. Some are easier to perform than others. Some are downright tricky. Some tasks we have mastered, while others remain, for one reason or another, a mystery. The Newtown Bee is presenting a series of short articles of Little Lessons meant to light the way to a new or easier way to tackle those day-to-day duties, or even those less commonly encountered tasks, each one accompanied by a video at newtownbee.com. Welcome to the classroom.

Whether you are using armloads of flowers plucked fresh from your garden or stems of blossoms purchased at the local florist or supermarket, there are eight elements of design, said Newtown Florist owner Judy Grabarz, that will help you create a pleasing bouquet when making a floral arrangement. “We call them the eight elements of design,” said Ms Grabarz. Color, visual texture, fragrance, size, line, form, space, and pattern all must work together when arranging flowers.

The most common mistakes people make with floral design are with size and proportion of flowers to vase, “As in, there isn’t one,” laughed Ms Grabarz. “The bouquet ends up with a lack of shape or something for the eye to look at,” she said. Although there are popular variations from year to year, the traditional rule is that flowers should stand about twice as tall as the container to have a pleasing look.

Along with the height of the vase, the mouth size of the vase should be taken into consideration. A tighter mouth means the flowers will be easier to keep in place, while a wide mouth vase will require a great number of flowers to prevent a drooping arrangement.

Color is subjective to personal taste, but might be dictated by the occasion. “A sympathy bouquet might be monochromatic, while a get-well bouquet might be bright colors. There is no right or wrong, though,” Mr Grabarz said.

Visual texture from various types of foliage, and different sizes and shapes of flowers give an arrangement interest.

Consider the space in which the arrangement will be displayed when deciding on the shape, size, and colors of an arrangement, she said. A “one-sided” arrangement generally is viewed from three sides and will be placed with its back to a wall or flat surface, while an “all around” bouquet has flowers and greens equally distributed for an equally lovely arrangement when viewed from any side.

Using a selection of foliage first, such as tree fern, red huckleberry, and leather leaf fern, place the stems (cut at an angle to better absorb water) in the vase to form a grid into which the other flowers can be set. Using a small tabletop lazy Susan aids in filling the vase evenly all around, as the bouquet can be gently turned as flowers are added. Fill in the foliage next with one or two varieties of filler flowers, cutting stems to varying heights for visual interest. Ginestra, available through a florist periodically, or baby’s breath are two such multistemmed flowers that work as fillers said Ms Grabarz.

Finally, again snipping long stems to different sizes and removing any leaves that would be submerged in water, tuck the main flowers in among the greens and filler flowers. Continually keep in mind the final shape of the arrangement that is desired. A few taller stems may be needed in the center to add height, some shorter stems slipped in between the filler flowers at the side to fill out an eye-pleasing shape. “Any colors, any varieties can work,” said Ms Grabarz. Snapdragons, button mums, carnations, asters, and alstromeria combine nicely for a winter arrangement. One or two stems of mini-sunflowers and daisy mums in a brilliant hue can brighten a bouquet. Stock, a pink- to fuchsia-colored flower that grows in clusters around a firm stem, adds not only texture and color, but fragrance, as well.

“If you feel like something is missing, try sticking in a stem or two of the natural green carnation,” suggested Ms Grabarz. “The pale, almost white-green just makes the whole thing pop.”

Keep the arrangement looking fresh by adding florist’s preservative to the water before starting the arrangement. Then, be sure to keep the water topped off each day to the original level. Arrangements made from flowers gathered from a home garden will not have the benefit of the preservative, Ms Grabarz reminded, so be sure that the water in the vase is changed completely on a regular basis to prevent bacterial buildup.

“A fresh arrangement is beautiful, and anyone can do it,” said Ms Grabarz.

To view a video of Ms Grabarz arranging a winter bouquet, visit NewtownBee.com, Little Lesson Number Two.