Flower arranging is a beautiful craft, which can be tricky to get right. You might think that putting a few different flowers together can't be that difficult, but once you start getting creative, it takes a lot of work to create a stunning arrangement. If you're thinking about learning a new craft or you just want to bring some nature into your home, flower arranging could be a good thing for you to pick up. It's something you can teach yourself to do if you want to, and you can do it casually or take it really seriously and even enter competitions or do it professionally.
What Is Flower Arranging Useful For?
You might be wondering what the point of flower arranging is. After all, you can buy an arrangement of flowers already put together whenever you want one. And there so many different designs to choose from, you're never stuck for choice. But being able to arrange flowers yourself means you won't have to pay anyone else to do it. You can create an arrangement that's perfect for any occasion, and you'll save money by doing it yourself too. Flower arrangements are fantastic for anything from weddings and funerals, to simply having fresh flowers in your home.
Should You Start with a Class?
If you're thinking about learning to arrange flowers, your first question might be whether it's worth taking a class. You can take short workshops or longer courses to learn how to master the art of flower arranging. While it's not a requirement, you might decide that taking a class is useful. Some people learn much better if they have an instructor right there to help them. You'll have someone who can answer your questions right away and give your practical instructions with hands-on advice. Plus, attending a class gives you something social to do, instead of just learning at home on your own. However, it's by no means essential, and you can learn at home if you want to.
Self-teaching Resources
Whether you decide to take a class or not, there are plenty of resources you can access to learn at home. You might be interested in taking an online course, which could include instructional videos for you to follow. There are also videos you can watch on sites like Youtube that will help you get started and learn some different techniques. If you prefer to read instead of watch, there are some books that will help you start flower arranging, like Get Started with Flower Arranging by Judith Blacklock. You can also find blogs and other craft resources online, plus there are magazines if you prefer something in print, or perhaps a digital magazine.
What You Need to Get Started
You don't need too many supplies to start arranging flowers. As you learn more, you might build up your tools, but there's no need to have everything right away. To begin with, it's useful to have a pair of rubber gloves, a knife or clippers, some flower shears, and a vase. You'll also need some flower foam to stabilize your flowers, as well as floral tape, as well as flower preserve to keep your flowers fresh for longer. And, of course, you'll also want some flowers and other greenery to put into your arrangement.
Where to Get Your Supplies
Where and how to buy your supplies is another question. You can easily find a lot of what you need from any plant nursery or flower store, as well as other more general stores. For example, Costco can be great for buying cheap flowers wholesale. Ordering online makes things a lot easier too. DoingUp has a section for fresh-cut flowers and supplies, including plenty of flower arranging supplies. If you want to start doing lots of flower arranging, keep an eye out for discounts so that you don't end up spending over the odds.
Preserve and Prepare Your Flowers
Before you get started with flower arranging, you should learn how to prepare your flowers. When you buy your flowers, you want them to last as long as possible, so it's important to protect them. Putting them in lukewarm water with flower food will help to ensure they stay nourished and resist bacteria while you're waiting to use them. If your flowers don't come with preservative food, you can buy it separately or make some yourself. There are a few different homemade solutions you can try, such as one that mixes sugar, white vinegar, and water. Make sure you unwrap your flowers and remove any ties or bands before you cut about an inch from the stems at an angle and place them in water. You can leave them for a couple of days before you put your arrangement together.
Another thing you might want to do to prepare your flowers is remove any bits you don't want. You might want to take off sharp thorns, such as those you find on roses. Or perhaps you will want to remove excess leaves or unsightly bits so that your flowers have a sleeker look for arranging.
The Basic Arrangement
Putting together a basic flower arrangement isn't too difficult. You can use floral foam to keep your arrangement in place in your vase or container, and floral tape or chicken wire can also be useful. Put your larger flowers in the middle of your arrangement, with smaller ones around the outside or in between them. You can fill in spaces with foliage to make sure you don't have any big gaps. It's really up to you which flowers and foliage you choose, but you might want to think about the conditions they require and how long they will last. And, of course, you'll want to consider texture and color to make sure it all goes together. Once you've made your first arrangement, you can start to experiment more and branch out. You can include things other than flowers, such as beads, ribbons, and other accessories.
Caring for Your Arrangements
When you make a beautiful flower arrangement, you want it to last as long as possible. Whether it's just going to sit on your dining room table or you want to give it to someone as a gift, caring for it properly will ensure it doesn't wilt and die within a day. If you use floral foam to stabilize your arrangement, you'll need to water it every few days to ensure it gets enough moisture. Flower preserve in the water will also keep your flowers going for longer. It's also best to keep your flowers away from direct heat, including sunshine. While it might look good sitting in your window, it might not be the best place for it. Changing the water and cutting the stems often helps too.
Transporting Flower Arrangements
Sometimes, you'll want to take your flower arrangements somewhere. You might have made it for someone's wedding, or you want to give it to someone as a gift. You don't want it to get ruined, so you'll have to make sure you protect it during transport. Stabilizing your arrangement in a box is one idea that might help, especially if your arrangement is in a vase or other container and you're traveling by car. Bouquets are better off in a bucket of water, although one that's not too full. Avoid keeping your arrangements in the trunk, where it could get too warm.
Arranging with Dry, Silk or Paper Flowers
Making arrangements with fresh flowers is fun, but it's not always the most practical. Fresh flowers can only last so long, especially in warm conditions. Sometimes it's fun to experiment with other materials, although it can end up turning into a completely different art. Some other options are to use dry flowers, silk flowers, or even paper flowers. You can still create some stunning floral arrangements with these materials, but it can be very different to using fresh-cut flowers. However, you can also create flower arrangements that have a range of other uses, and that will last much longer, which makes them great gifts.
Starting a Business
If you enjoy flower arranging, you might eventually want to start making money from it. Sometimes you might almost accidentally end up doing it for a profit. Many people start off making arrangements for friends and family but eventually, the demand grows, and they have to start charging if they want to fulfill people's requests. If you want to start a floral business, you should consider how you're going to do it. Are you going to make arrangements from home, have a workshop, or perhaps even open a flower store? You'll need to make sure you have plenty of experience with making floral arrangements and that you can offer lots of creative ideas. When you run a business, it's not just about what you like to do but about listening to your clients too. You might go into it for the creative fun, but you'll also need to take care of the business side.
Learning to arrange flowers could take you to different places. It might just become a fun hobby, or you could end up doing it for money.
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