Easy Steps for Creating Amazing Flower Arrangements

Wondering how to arrange your blooms to make them look amazing?  Here are a few basic principles I like to follow.

Choose a combination of flowers in colors you love together, using blooms with different sizes, shapes, and textures.

1.  Choose 3 large focal flowers:   dahlias, sunflowers, roses, large zinnias

2.  Supporting flowers (smaller than your focals)    smaller dahlias, zinnias, triloba rudbeckia, 

3.  Filler flowers     phlox, feverfew, chamomile, yarrow, strawflowers

4. Draping foliage   ninebark, apple of Peru, rose foliage, berry foliage, tomato plant foliage, evergreens

5. Airy texture  explosion grass, quaking oats, millet

Optional:  stems with a scent  such as basil, mint, rosemary

Choose the Right Vase

I find a tapered vase easier to design in than a straight-sided vase. That smaller opening helps hold the stems in place and makes creating a natural shape much easier.

1. Add three foliage stems first.

Place them at an angle, allowing the leaves to drape over the rim of the vase. Remove any leaves that would sit in the water.  I find it's more interesting to add 2-3 different types of foliage.

2. Add the large focal flowers.

 Place large focal flowers low in the arrangement and angle the stems so they are placed on the diagonal. This creates the foundation of your design.  This is called the armature and gives structure so that future stems will stay where you place them through the armature.

3. Add the smaller blooms.

Position the smaller flowers slightly higher than the focal flowers. Try not to let the flower heads touch one another.   Flowers like to have their own space and not be smooshed together.  If a leaf hangs in front of a flower, trim the leaf off or tuck it under or between flower blooms.

4. Armature is what you want.

What's that?  As the stems cross one another, they create a supportive framework in the vase; that's called an armature.  Once your armature is established, a stem placed straight down into the vase will remain right where you placed it.  If you find blooms are not staying where you place them, add more foliage or stems to create an armature.    Note:  if there isn't room for your stems, remove some foliage or switch your vase to one with a wider neck.

5. Fill gaps with yarrow or similar filler flowers.

Yarrow is not the star of the show, but it’s great for filling little gaps and adding pops of color. I like to tuck it in low, and it’s perfectly fine if other flowers or foliage partially cover it.

6. Give height to your arrangement.

Try using three similar blooms, with the smallest flower head standing the tallest. Cluster them close together in nearly the same spot, but vary their heights so the smallest bloom reaches the highest 

7. Add the airy flowers and texture.

Place them in groups of three and at varying heights. Position them higher in the arrangement to help create movement and interest.

A Few Design Principles

The eye loves repetition of color and placement in triangular shapes

Repeat colors in groups
Clusters of flowers in 3s often work well.    

Aim to use a varied heights to create dimension and a more natural appearance.

Color:  It's helpful to have a bloom that uses two colors to "bridge" the use of 2 different colors in your arrangement.

Vase Size:  Make your arrangement 1 to 1.5 higher then the height of your vase.

Take a photo to help you see what adjustments would make it improve.

I learn a lot by critiquing my own work, especially when I can see the arrangement in a photo. I like to ask myself:

What do I love about this arrangement?  and  What adjustments would make it even better?

Here I'm going to critique a few I made.

I like:  

+ The focal flower covers the rim of the vase

+ The focal flower (Kidd's Climax)  is a bridge flower connecting the light pink and light yellow.

+ small white zinnias form a triangle

What I'd improve:

• I'd love the bud on the very top to be by itself.  The arrangement would look better with that top white zinnia cut a little lower than the bud.

I like:  

+ The focal flower and foliage covers the rim of the vase

+ The smaller blooms are higher than the focal

What I'd improve:

• I'd like the middle pink  and middle white zinnia to be a bit taller.  

The very top white zinnia could be a bit shorter.  The low bunny tail could be taller

I'd clip the leaf that is covering up the orange dahlia on the left.

I like:  

+ The focal flower and foliage covering the rim of the vase

+ The smaller blooms are higher than the focal

+ The 3 pink dahlias form a triangle pattern that is pleasing to the eye

What I'd do to improve:

• I'd clip a bit of the foliage that is covering the pink and orange dahlias.

I'd adjust the very top orange flower to be a little lower and the smallest zinnia to be the tallest in the arrangement.

I find flower arranging to be such a meaningful creative process—and such a beautiful sensory experience. 

The fragrances, the textures, the little details of each bloom…and there’s something so special about bringing outside beauty into my home. It’s always a mood booster!

I hope you enjoy bringing your own floral visions to life as much as I do. And if you make an arrangement, I’d love to see it!  Share it on Instagram and tag me @flowerlyfarm. I’d be delighted to see what you create!