some time ago, i had the pleasure of being gifted a floral arrangement from b floral. i was so taken with the bouquet that i reached out to the team there to request some tips for creating the perfect at-home arrangement; i frequently buy flowers for myself and what i put together is amateur at best. so now, thanks to bronwen smith, b floral’s owner and lead designer, we can all benefit!
choose wisely. look for blooms that are still in bud form, or just beginning to open. pass on flowers with leaves that are yellowing or browning, which is a clear sign of impending doom.
trim. trim most of the leaves from your stems. leaves contain pesticides that will transfer to the water and poison the flowers. make sure not to miss any that would sit below the water as they will quickly decompose and could ruin your arrangement.
angle it. cut blooms on a 45 degree angle at the base of the stem. the larger the stem’s surface area is, the greater the area for water absorption.
be quick. once you cut stems, place them directly in water; they begin to heal themselves once they are cut hindering their ability to stay hydrated. a quick trim keeps things fresh.
pour on the h2o. give your stems fresh water every day or two to create long-lasting blooms.
know your atmosphere. flowers can’t thrive in direct a/c, heat, or sunlight. blooms will be happiest and last longest in indirect sunlight.
keep it sweet. my favorite tip: add a splash of sprite to rose arrangements. roses love the sugar!
mind the view. when arranging, start with the biggest heads of the flowers in the center, to create a full and lively base for the arrangement. then fill in your arrangement with your smaller flowers, and lastly greens. lastly, turn your arrangement as you create it to make sure you can see it from all angles.
taking these tips, i immediately went out and scooped up some blooms from a local flower stand (astoria has one on nearly every corner), which you can see above. how’d i do?
