19 Apr Arranging Cut Flowers

Arranging my cut flowers

Since we opened the shop one of the most common questions we have been asked is about arranging cut flowers.

When we send out our gift bunches most people say they leave then in their hessian wrapper and they look lovely in a vase just the way we send the out.

Many folks also love to pick up a few stems of flowers to arrange on the kitchen table at home or have subscribed to our Natural Stem Subscription service. However when they get them home they are not really sure how to arrange them.

Vase choice

We would suggest you have a vase shape and size in mind when you purchase your stems. Lots of tall straight stems look lovely in a tall, sturdy, wide neck vase, while spring flowers tend to have a shorter, thicker stem and would suit a squat vase with a more horizontal neck than a round. And if your flower budget simply stretches to just a few stems, use a wider based vase, with a very narrow neck, so it showcases a few simple stems, in a more architectural style. Make sure your vases are clean – we use bleach and a bottle brush to kill bacteria between every use.

Conditioning

This is an essential part of flower care. When we receive flowers into the shop we condition them before arranging them for sale. This is the practice of stripping away excess foliages from the stems, cutting around 3-6 cm off each stem (Stem length depending) in a diagonal snip, and allowing blooms to drink fresh clean water with appropriate flower food. (We usually do this in a straight sided vessel to encourage the stem to stay tall and not droop.)

When you get your flowers home try stripping excess foliages away but be sure you leave the top third foliages so the flowers still look natural!

Make sure the foliages don’t sit on or below the water level as this can cause bacteria to form and decreases the life of the flowers. Re-cut the stems and stand in fresh water with flower food – this helps the flower life too. We always change the flower water every two days, and re-trim a little more of the bottom of the stems.

Crossing the stems

If you cross the stems in your vase it creates an armature allowing you to support further stems as they are added. This will stop them flopping around and everything slumping to one side. Space the stems evenly, and then add further stems in the gaps until you are happy with the final arrangement.

You can use colourful blooms or statement foliages.

Remember to keep changing the water – this really makes such a different to the vase life of your flowers, and as with everything if life practice practice practice makes perfect!

Enjoy your blooms!