How to Arrange Summer Flowers

Place all of your cut flowers and greenery in a large pan of other suitable container of water. The cut end of the stalks and stems should never be allowed to dry out, or the flowers will not last long. If it is very hot, take the pan outside with you when you go to cut the flowers.

Choose an appropriate vase. Tall flowers or those with long stems display best in a tall, narrow vase. Short-stemmed flowers are best displayed in a low vase. The head of the flowers should start just above the top of the vase. Summer flowers come in all sizes, and you can mix them, but be sure all the stems can reach the water in the vase.

Clip the bottom end of each stem at a 45-degree angle, to help the flowers absorb as much water as possible. Do this as you add each flower to the arrangement.

Make a support for your flowers by creating a "wall" of greenery across the back of the display. Select sturdy branches with lots of leaves to both enhance and support your flowers. The branches can be loosely woven together to provide support.

Arrange your flowers with the tallest blooms in the back and shorter ones in front, so that all can be seen. If the arrangement is intended to be viewed from all sides, put the taller flowers in the center and fill in around them with shorter blossoms. Mix up the blooms so that each type is spread throughout the display and you don't end up with one type or color of flower all bunched together in one spot.

Place stems at an angle in the vase, to provide stability to the arrangement. This is especially helpful for arrangements that include very tall flowers with narrow stems.

Fill in the empty spots with flowers the right height for each location. If you find the arrangement seems a bit thin down around the vase, add shorter flowers in the front. If the lower part of the arrangement seems to overwhelm the upper section, slip in some more tall flowers to give it a more balanced look.