Show off your bountiful blooms in vintage vessels. Floral trimmings from the backyard always look best in a casual outfit, so skip the crystal vase and opt instead for a repurposed container.
Take a water-filled container with you into the garden and snip, collect, and arrange all in one spot. Here, alstroemeria blossoms fill a vintage canning jar.
For a perfect pairing, grab a handful of fresh cuts from the garden, hold them like a bouquet, snip the bottoms, and plop into a pitcher.
Use a decorative or vintage watering can as a sturdy vase to showcase big blooms.
To fashion an arrangement in an old tin, take the colors of the vessel into account. These Annabelle hydrangeas in various shades of ivory and green complement the tin while the small blush of pink in the petals provides a touch of contrast.
For a fresh and festive spring or summer table, set lavender glass bottles or a collection of old drinking glasses filled with the same flowers in a grouping or at each place setting.
Big burgundy dahlia blooms create a dramatic look. Yellow daisies and blue sea holly fill in the spaces of an arts & crafts-style pitcher.
Equal parts charm and grace, even the smallest bouquet imparts a breath of fresh air. This pretty still life with a pink Cleome blossom illustrates how flowers with stems cut too short can be rescued by setting them adrift in a small vintage bowl.
If you’re creating arrangements that you want to match a specific color palette, create your own range of vases with aluminum cans. Wash out the cans with hot, soapy water, spray on a vivid coat of paint, and fill with flowers when dry.
A white-themed summer floral arrangement appears to float amid a unified grouping of white and ivory vessels. Create a focal point with this limited color palette by backing the arrangements with a textural vintage piece and a grounding of old lace.
When the grocery store blooms replace your garden blossoms, it invites a little more planning. For a conventional arrangement, once you’ve chosen your vessel, the rule of thumb is that your tallest flower should be no more than 1 1/2 times the height of the vessel—but it’s even more important to create your composition based on where it will reside.
Since even the hardiest of blooms only lasts so long, place displays where they’re visible at standing height so they can work their alluring magic on residents and guests. The exception is, of course, for a table centerpiece. If your bouquet will remain on the table during the meal, keep it under 14 inches high so that it doesn’t obstruct conversation across the table.
To make this arrangement, trim a small piece of floral foam and tuck it into an old cheese box lined with plastic wrap. Trim stems of roses, mums, daisies, and sea holly as needed to sink into foam in a pyramid shape.
Assemble a display of floral pattern china and an ironstone bowl according to height to make a one-of-a-kind centerpiece. Contrast deep pink roses with white hydrangeas.
Set fragrant displays of fresh blooms near entryways and gathering spaces for a scent-sensational first impression.
Gather the tools that the floral pros use and then practice, practice, practice for picture-perfect arrangements. Clockwise from top right:
Floral foam makes the base for composed arrangements and is sold in bricks that you can cut to size.
Greening pins are essential for securing greenery and moss to foam, whether in arrangements or wreaths.
Floral shears have a blade specifically designed to avoid crushing stems when they’re being cut. Many florists swear by a good sharp paring knife.
Water picks have snug, perforated tops to secure stems placed in their water reservoirs.
Floral wire can be twisted around stems to strengthen or lengthen them and is great for securing items to wreaths.
Bonsai or ikebana shears have small, sharp blades that are ideal when bouquets or topiaries need tweaking.
Flower food extends the life of fresh cuts.
Needle-nose pliers spare fingers when twisting wire.
Floral tape hides wiring and staking, and also works to bind multiple smaller stems into one large one. It’s also useful for creating a lattice support across the top of a wide-mouth vase.
Floral stakes come in different lengths. Use them to support fragile stems or heavy fruits in an arrangement.
If you’re looking for a spot to work all your floral magic, see how to set up a flower arranging station here.
© Caruth Studio