Instructions on Making Flower Arrangements

Selecting the Flowers

• When selecting your flowers, choose flowers that are healthy. The stems should not be broken and the leaves should look healthy. Choose a combination of one to three colors. It is not necessary to choose every color combination possible, as this can cause your arrangement to look sloppy and unorganized. Think about the meanings of the flowers you choose. For example, if you want to create a flower arrangement that displays love, you might want to choose a carnation, chrysanthemum, rose, lily or lilac. To represent marital happiness, you may go with a peony or stephanotis. Flowers all have different meanings and it is up to you if you would like to display an emotion behind your arrangement.

Preparing the Flowers

• When preparing the flowers for an arrangement, avoid using dried leaves or twigs. These can rot in the water. Prune any foliage that you will not need in your arrangement and also remove any leaves that will end up under the surface of the water. All the stems of your flowers should be cut at an angle. Using floral foam is desirable, as it contains a preservative meant to keep the flowers fresh and keep bacteria from growing.

Arranging the Flowers

• It is best to use flowers that are all at different levels of development. You want flowers to bloom at various times, not at all the same time and be sure that the stems reach the water. Once you have decided on your container, you can add your foam to a preservative solution and let it soak. Add this to the container and fill with your choice of fill material. You will then want to create a circle around the container with your flowers, one type at a time and inserting them into the foam. Add the tallest flowers to the center of this, which will create the dome shape of your arrangement. Continue adding flowers and increasing the height as you come closer to the flowers in the center. The flowers and colors should be evenly distributed. If blooms appear to be crushing one another, keep them separated. Blooms should have space around them.