flohaus

One of the first things to keep in mind when making an arrangement is the size of your vase. More recently vases have come down in price so you can pick up a variety of small vases from around $7 to $12. Having said that, if you can invest in a couple of different sizes and maybe some river rocks which cost around $6 to $8 a bag you could put together a few different looks. You can also find things around your own house, a water jug, a shallow glass bowl, and even egg cups for those single broken blooms. The smaller the opening of the vase the less flowers you have to buy.

Throughout the year certain flowers are going to be cheaper than others, especially in the summer months when we have locally grown peonies, hydrangea and dahlias. These have larger blooms so you will need less to fill your vase. A mass of one particular color is always nice too, for example at this time of year tulips  are in season and can make a bold statement.

I have put together a few different ideas using various small vases.

1. One of them is a small glass square container, at the bottom I have put river rocks and a small amount of water just to cover the stem and a cut cymbidium orchid. The orchid costs between $5 to $7 at the florist, if you are having a dinner party you could line up two to three of these along your dining room table, which would be very cost effective.  They are long lasting and add a punch of color at the same time.

2.   Next is an arrangement with hydrangea, anenomies, a small amount of greenery and a large leaf to wrap around the inside of your vase. First, fill your vase with water, taking your large leaf; wrap it around the inside of your vase. Next, cut your greenery so it measures above the lip of your vase and place it inside. Hydrangea comes next- stand it up in front of your vase and measure so it comes above the lip and just higher than your greenery. After that, anenomies are cut; slide them inside along the hydrangea and move them around until you like the placement. This is a simple arrangement that can be done in no time at all and as I mentioned before, with any of the large flower heads. The cost of this would be around $16.00.

3.  Thirdly I have put together some tulips in a small round vase. Again, using greenery that you have picked up at your local florist, cut it to measure above the lip of your vase. This greenery will help to hold the tulips up and make it look like a larger arrangement than it really is. Measure each individual tulip by holding it up in front of the vase, after you have cut a couple you will see what lengths you need.  They don’t all have to be the same as it would be nice to have some height difference.

If buying from a florist you will be able to get just the amount that you need stem by stem rather than having to by a whole bunch of mixed colors at your grocery store. It will be easier to pick up small amounts of greenery too.

Here are a few tips that will be useful:

• Make sure your vase is clean and free of bacteria.
• Fill your vase ¾ of the way full.
• Cut your stems on an angle with a knife.  Do not use scissors as it pinches the stems and makes it hard for the flower to drink.
• Change water every 2 to 3 days.
• Sometimes greenery out-lasts your flowers so you can give it a fresh cut and use again if still healthy.
• Keep away from sources of heat.
• To make your arrangement last a little longer, at night put it in a cool basement or a bay window.
• Tulips tend to grow towards the light so give them a little turn each day so they grow evenly.

Try making your own arrangement and you’ll be really surprised how easy it is in a small container.

Nicola Bishop