Flower arranging is a wonderfully rewarding hobby, with benefits ranging from unwinding to expressing your creativity. And when you get it right, you produce beautiful and pleasing flower arrangements that you can use to decorate your home or gift to friends and family.
So, just how do you go about creating the perfect flower arrangement?
In this article, we’ll share five tips for creating the perfect flower arrangement.
1) Cut carefully
The first rule in flower arranging success is to cut your materials properly. You need to do this the evening before arranging to allow enough time for the flowers and foliage to condition well. Cut flowers with a sharp knife or shear when they’re nearly fully open. Young, tight buds don’t absorb enough water, which makes them wilt and dry up rapidly.
2) Create harmony
Many people don’t consider this aspect of flower arranging and as a result, their arrangements lack a feeling of unity and consistency. A flower arrangement is harmonious when they all share something in common – either their size, shape, texture, flowering time or colour.
For example, an arrangement of delicate and vibrant flowers like sweet peas, roses and lavender would be harmonious, as they all typically bloom in late spring.
3) Condition the night before
Cut plant materials need to absorb as much water as possible, so they don’t look dried out and wilted, or become damaged during arrangement. Find a cool, dark place and stand the cut plants overnight in lukewarm water up to a depth of roughly half their length.
The next morning, cut the stems at a 45-degree angle while still under the water and leave them there until you’re ready to start arranging. You should remove foliage, which decays when left underwater.
4) Select your colour scheme
- Different colours produce different effects in an arrangement. You want to select and combine colours that have a pleasing effect on the eye. Below are some widely accepted colour schemes.
- Monochromatic: This consists of a single hue, in different shades, tints and tones.
- Analogous: A combination of colours that are close together on the colour wheel.
- Direct compliments: A contrasting selection of colours that lie opposite each other on the colour wheel.
- Split complements: In this pattern, a single hue is contrasted with the two hues that lie on either side of its direct complement.
- Triad: Three colours are equally spaced on the colour wheel, with one colour dominating the arrangement.
5) Find a balance
A flower arrangement that looks like it’s about to fall over isn’t attractive. That’s why you need to consider the balance of the arrangement from top to bottom, side to side, and front to back. You can do this symmetrically, making each side a mirror image of the other. Alternatively, you can create asymmetrical balance – making each side different, but with equal visual weight. In either case, when you’ve got the balance just right, the arrangement will create a feeling of stability and calm when admired.
Which of our flower arranging tips will you be implementing first?