How to Arrange Flowers & Ribbons

Decide what kind of bouquet that the flowers will look best in. There are eight classifications of bouquets and half of them lend themselves to being in vases that will look nice with ribbons on them. Those four are vertical, oval, freestanding, and triangular arrangements.

Vertical arrangements have a high point, and they have a few single stunning flowers are the centerpiece of a vertical arrangement, with either smaller flowers or greens to accent them. The vertical arrangements work well with large flowers like irises or birds of paradise,

Oval arrangements can be an arrangement of a single type of flower, with variety created by using different colors like peonies or petunias.

Freestanding arrangements can be a spontaneous blend of flowers, big and small, that compliment each other in color, shape and texture.

A triangular arrangement is shaped as a triangle, with the largest flowers in the top and center, and the smaller and less dominant flowers placed at lower angles. Often triangular arrangements use a combination of flowers and greens to achieve a the triangular appearance.

Choose the type of design you want. If your vase will accommodate florist foam, it makes arranging flowers so much easier. It is not necessary to use it, but more elaborate flower bouquets can be made using it.

Add water to the vase before you start arranging the flowers. The longer flowers are starved for water, the faster they fade once in a bouquet. If you bought your flowers at the grocery store or florist, put the packet of flower preservative in the vase you have chosen for the bouquet. Add water to 3/4 of the base.

Start by placing the tallest or more dominant flowers in the vase. Keep adding the other flowers that will form the bouquet. Add the greens last, if you are using them. As you work, you will need to cut the stems of the flowers to the proper height. Cut the stems so that they will be fully immersed in the water in the vase.

Check your bouquet for balance and how it pleases you. Once you have placed the flowers to your liking, you are ready to add the ribbon to the vase.

Select the color or colors of the ribbon you want to use for the vase. If you have arranged a bouquet that is all one color, you can add several different colored ribbons to liven up the bouquet. If the bouquet is a mix of different flower type and colors, you may just want to stick to the dominant color in the bouquet. Proportion the ribbon to size of the bouquet. The larger the bouquet, the larger the ribbon needs to be, as well as the bow on it.

Tie the ribbon around the vase. Affix a bow in matching colors, using super glue or by tying it behind with the circling ribbon.

String the ribbon through the flowers themselves for a more unique look. Without restricting the water flow to the flowers, the ribbon can go in and out of the bouquet in an artistic pattern of your choice.