How to Arrange a Delphinium

An attractive flower arrangement brings color and beauty to the home, and stately, colorful delphiniums are a staple of the florist's art. Elegant spikes in shades of blue, pink, cream, white and lavender lend a formal touch to any arrangement. Delphiniums combine well with other tall blooms and are also suitable for making Japanese ikebana arrangements. For the beginner, delphiniums are easily used to make a beautiful, durable floral arrangement.

Pail with about 3 inches very warm water
Freshly cut flowers
Leafy foliage stems
Container/vase
Bucket of cool water
Sharp knife
Well-sharpened secateurs
Floral frog
Floral preservative

Instructions

- 1
  Cut garden or florist delphiniums and other flowers chosen for your arrangement. Cut stems at an angle so they can take up water easily. Place in a pail of about 3 inches of very warm water right after picking. When you have picked or selected all the flowers wanted, add cool water to the pail and leave it in a cool place for a few hours. This helps condition the flowers to make the arrangement last longer.
- 2
  Cut your choice of leafy stems from the garden or florist. If the plant material consists of very mature leaves, immerse in water overnight. Younger, more tender leafy stems should be soaked for just a few hours. Leaves take in water on their surfaces, so this keeps them fresh longer. When making the floral arrangement, all leaves underwater should be trimmed off, as they quickly rot. Eucalyptus, hosta and ferns are foliage often used by florists. Companion blooms that complement delphiniums include roses, snapdragons and iris.
- 3
  
  A classic decorated vase is one of many suited to delphinium arrangements.
  
  Acquire a vase to match your style, as the container should suit the bouquet. Grouping delphiniums of the same height in a tall vase is a simple arrangement needing no extra support. For variety, flowers can be cut to varying heights. To make a fan-shaped triangular arrangement, a shorter, wide vase and a floral frog (a spiked stem holder) are needed. To keep flowers firmly in place, insert into the spikes one at a time until the arrangement looks as desired. The triangle arrangement is usually placed in front of a wall and viewed from only one side.
- 4
  Fill the vase or other container with water, and recut stems underwater while arranging the flowers and foliage in the container. Water should never be icy cold -- lukewarm is best. If using a floral frog, press stems gently but firmly into place between the spikes at a pleasing angle. The general rule is that the flowers should be 1 1/2 to two times the height of the vase. Turn your vase around to view the arrangement from different angles until satisfied.
- 5
  Move delphiniums away from ripening fruit and out of the way of rapid air movement, such as fans, air conditioners or open windows. Change the water every few days. Add floral preservative (available from florists) to the water as soon as you finish the arrangement and delphiniums may last as long as 14 days. Bouquets last better if kept out of direct sunlight.

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