Signs of growth, signs of summer, signs of beauty.
Flowers were not uncommon on my family’s dining table growing up. If anything, it was rare when we didn’t have at least a few blooms on the table, especially when company was expected! So maybe it has been instilled in me from a young age, or maybe I’m just captivated at the prospect of bringing flowers inside, arranging them, and regarding them at all times of the day.
There’s something refreshing about a newly arranged bouquet on your dining table; maybe it’s the slow repetition within the act - snip, pull off the leaves, place - or the story it carries (a bouquet given by your husband on your anniversary, a perennial planted by your grandma)…
Yet like most things, bouquet making takes practice and there are a few helpful steps to consider within the process. May the practice of bouquet making cause you to love your dining table all the more, the people around it, and delight in the beauty of a simple daisy, sprig of mint, and stem of lamb’s ear… or a Trader Joe’s collection of blooms (I’m not against supermarket bouquets and firmly believe in Trader Joe flowers - they stay fresh for a wonderfully long time!!).
Do you enjoy arranging flowers for your home? Or do you become stressed and plop them in the first vase you can grab? I’d love to hear your perspective!
“Bouquet Making” inspired by these simple moments.
Define your shape. Work with the flowers - are they straight and strong? Droopy and fragile? Let the natural moment of the flowers and greens define the shape of your bouquet and begin with those stems of greens or flowers that have the most movement.
Place most blooms at a diagonal & always radiating from the center of your vase. You don’t want all of your stems facing straight up out the vase - they should instead be interwoven. This ensures that the base of your arrangement is hidden with blooms and that the prettiest angles of your blooms are visible.
In and out. Get playful with your arranging - some stems longer, some shorter, some blooms hiding in the background, some reaching out to tickle your nose during dinner. Depth is a good quality found in all mediums of art, and bouquet arranging is no different!
Add the finishing touches. Save your show stopper blooms to the end - perhaps a few peonies, zinnias, or roses…. This ensures that they won’t get buried by the other flowers and will be the first flowers that catch your eye! It is also sometimes helpful to save a few greenery springs for those last minute holes and gaps that could use a little extra cushion of greenery.
