How to Arrange Flowers in a Mediterranean-Style

Choose flowers and elements in colors like white, burnt orange, olive green, blue, yellow, green and warm citrus. Look for dusty or faded versions of these colors and don’t be afraid to mix and match them, as they are all complementary colors.

Select flowers that are native to the area and evoke its sunny feel. Lavender, calla lilies, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, poppies, rosemary, statice, daffodils, carnations, irises, hydrangea and snapdragons and wild roses are all suitable choices.

Pick up greenery such as ferns, ivy, laurel leaves, olive leaves and ficus. Get some fruit like petite lemons, pomegranates and quince, as well as ornamental vegetables like baby artichokes, which are also used in Mediterranean arrangements.

Select unglazed terracotta and hand-painted pottery in pitchers, urns or other simple classic shapes. They should be shapely, with some volume and curviness.

Make a mixture of tall floral branches like rosemary or lavender, a few fuller flowers like hydrangea or sunflowers, and some mixed smaller flowers of different types like poppies, irises or wild roses. Use varying colors, textures and shapes to reflect the land itself.

Put them loosely in the vase, careful to place the elements in an unstudied way. The Mediterranean style is not formal or overly structured, so do not make the arrangement too full or shaped. The more casual it is, the better.

Choose one fruit or vegetable element, like a small lemon or pomegranate. Skewer any fruit and place one or two in the arrangement. You could also make a small arrangement of fruit around the bottom of the vase.

Place greenery in any bare areas and allow some ivy to drape over the side of the pottery. Weave some of the ivy around the fruit at the base of your arrangement.