How to Arrange Flowers for Maximum Enjoyment

Posted on by micah catherine
cut sunflowers on white background

The sunflower has long been a favorite of mine, as much for its striking golden color as for the intricacies and heartiness of the flowers. When I heard the Saturday Morning Market was once again in full swing, I hastened to my favorite sunflower-selling vendor and chose the sunniest bunch.

Arranging a bouquet of flowers may seem a straightforward task, but it’s this illusion of ease that may be keeping your masterpiece from lasting more than a few days. You’ll only need a few supplies to get started:

  • Your favorite flowers
  • Scissors
  • A vase
  • Warm water

Step 1 – Prepare Your Vase

sunflowers and cut stems with mason jar full of water on white table

Vase preparation is just as important as preparing your actual bouquet. Make sure you sanitize your vase by letting it sit filled with hot, soapy water while you prepare your flowers. This will keep the growth of bacteria to a minimum. When your flowers are ready for arranging, fill your vase 3/4 of the way full with warm water.

Step 2 – Trim the Stems

woman cutting sunflower stems with scissors over white table with mason jar

Measure your flower stems against the height of your vase. Generally, a well-proportioned arrangement extends 3-6 inches above the top of your vase. I always add an additional 1-2 inches to this line before cutting the excess stems. This gives me the freedom to vary the height of each flower as I arrange them later, giving my final bouquet a more robust appearance.

Pro Tip: Trim the stems of your flowers and greenery at a 45-degree angle. This provides a greater surface area, allowing the stems to absorb water more easily.

Step 3 – Add The Flowers

woman adding sunflowers to mason jar on white table with sunflowers

Be sure to remove any leaves that will fall below the waterline as this will keep your water cleaner longer, then begin adding your flowers one at a time. For a bouquet consisting of all the same type of flower, I like to add the larger ones in the center and use the remaining smaller flowers as support around the edge. If you want a bouquet that includes a variety of flowers and greenery, choose blooms with different colors, textures, and shapes that complement each other.

Step 4 – Arrange and Rearrange

woman styling bouquet of sunflowers in mason jar of water on white table

It often takes me a few minutes to style my bouquet to my liking. This is where I may trim the stems of certain flowers to improve how proportionate my bouquet looks. There is no right or wrong way to style your flowers, so it’s simply a matter of preference on where you want each flower to go.

Step 5 – Take Care

woman in blue and white striped shirt holding mason jar bouquet of sunflowers

To help keep your bouquet fresh and thriving as long as possible, set your vase in an area of your home that receives soft, indirect light. As you admire your new bouquet, keep on the lookout for drooping flowers or cloudy water. I normally change the water, remove wilted leaves, add plant food, and re-trim stems every few days.

Pro Tip: Keep your bouquet alive longer with natural plant food! For every 1 quart of water in your vase, add 2 tablespoons each of granulated sugar and natural lemon juice and swirl.

Practice Makes Perfect

Simple, yet stunning sunflowers add a pop of color to your home without needing meticulous arranging or maintenance and are a great place to start if you’re new to floral arrangements. Have additional tips and tricks or favorite flowers and/or greenery to style? I’d love to know!

XO,
Micah

6 thoughts on “How to Arrange Flowers for Maximum Enjoyment”

    1. I’m glad! I like to stagger them throughout, first greenery, then flowers, to give it natural fullness. See where your creative eye takes you!

  2. I’m inspired to get some flowers and make a little bouquet for the kitchen counter!
    Any tips for top-heavy flowers? Even with other flowers/greenery, I tend to have “listers.”
    (Also curious, what’s the reason to use warm water in the vase?)

    1. Hooray! For top-heavy flowers, it helps to cut them shorter, so most of the stem is supported by the vase. This can sometimes make a bouquet look strange, which is where greenery comes in! Baby’s Breath is an excellent choice because it provides a natural scaffold for bigger flowers. Leatherleaf ferns are good for this, too! Warm water is less of a shock for delicate stems (especially after being transported home) and is helps them take up water more efficiently 🙂

Comments are closed.