Floral arrangements are a fundamental part of the decoration, whether domestic or other spaces, such as offices, meeting rooms, conference venues, restaurants, wedding halls or funerals – these are already traditional sites in which flowers occupy a central position.
The flowers bring beauty, harmony and luminosity and are a very aesthetic touch that give the point where they are placed a feeling of comfort and vitality. What a floral arrangement does is to combine several flowers and plants so that the positive effect of them is multiplied and diffused thanks to a wise presentation of that floral arrangement.
It can be a simple bouquet of several fresh flowers in a vase that you change every day, or it can be something more complex and prepared, that although it has a very natural appearance, and there is the key to this art, only have use for a few hours in a celebration or event in particular.
It is an art that comes from ancient times and in which oriental peoples such as the Japanese have excelled, raising it to admirable levels of subtlety and balance. It is about knowing the different flowers, their characteristics, and not only their colors, cultivating the aesthetic sense and letting creativity develop.
And there are also several techniques and tricks that will be very useful for you to learn how to make flower arrangements, and we are going to comment on several of them.
A basic floral arrangement
To make a basic floral arrangement, such as a vase with flowers together, for a centerpiece, for example, gather two or three different bouquets, a filling of green leaves, and cut the stems of the flowers so that they are one and a half times the length of the vase or vessel that will contain them. Also remove the leaves from the bottom of the stems.
It would be good if you got a square mouth vase, because it will facilitate the preparation of this arrangement. The reason for this suggestion is that the first thing you should do is create a grid based on strips of adhesive tape or transparent zeal, putting several horizontally and others crossing these vertically, and for this it will be more comfortable if you use a square vase.
The first thing you are going to do is put the green base, with branches of green leaves only, in the outermost holes of the grid, forming an abundant framework around the center of the vase.
Then, in the central hollow place the flower that we want to stand out the most, trying to make it a larger flower than the others or more striking, which will be the dominant flower. Then, we put the rest of the secondary flowers around the dominant flower, using the rest of the free holes in the adhesive tape grid.
Finally, in the holes that have been left free of the grid, introduce other filling flowers, less showy or smaller, that complement the secondary flowers and the dominant one, and finish with a touch of green with some branch of leaves different from the base and that is almost as high as the dominant flower. You will notice that the result, although the process is simple, is spectacular. Your creativity will be the key when choosing the different flowers, you use in this composite vase. And it will only remain the decision of where you prefer to have this magnificent basic floral arrangement in sight.
The reason
But apart from a vase, there are many other ways and ways to create floral arrangements, such as a centerpiece, heart or double ring shape, pendants to put vertically on walls and walls, both indoors and outdoors, etc.
For all of them, there are some general tips to take into account as a previous step and that will guide you to have a panoramic notion of how to create a floral arrangement depending on its location or motif.
First of all, it is important that you are clear about the reason that causes the realization of a specific floral arrangement. It always has a destination or an objective, whether generic, such as decorating a corner of the house, or a celebration or an event that deserves to be accompanied by a floral arrangement. It can be a wedding, a birthday, an anniversary, a special meal…
The colors
One of the things you should think about first, in addition to the reason or destination that your floral arrangement will have, is the colors. Choose them carefully, depending on the environment in which they will be found, if you want them to stand out and attract the eye or if you prefer them to be on a more discreet and less relevant plane. The usual thing is that you handle three or four colors, although you can also opt for a single color, if you look for a striking focus, such as red flowers, and give them a small contrast with green leaves, which will always give a touch of naturalness.
You can choose the colors using complementary or contrasting tones, or all in a range of shades of the same coloration, or simply using your favorite colors, those that you like more and that will make you feel more comfortable with the final floral arrangement, although it is better not to forget the reason for it if it is something to decorate an event or event in which other people will participate.
The design
When building your flower arrangement, design is important. Think that a floral arrangement is something that combines all kinds of flowers and plants, as well as ornamental elements such as branches, bamboo sticks or stones, to achieve an effect of plant beauty, and that in many cases it is intended to be used only for a few hours, a day or a weekend, as an ephemeral decoration.
That is why it is a good idea that you make a sketch on paper, with the general lines of your arrangement, noting the flowers and plants to use, and the general structure it will have. It can be horizontal, in a wide, low basket, or vertical, as in vases or pitchers, or simply with long stems that will rise above its base.
The container
The floral arrangements are presented in some type of container or container, such as a vase, a basket, a glass fountain, a wooden bowl or even in bamboo stalks. But you can use your imagination to recycle any type of container, especially if it is made of a material related to nature, that is, ceramics, stone, wood, glass, metal … from a zinc bucket to a hemp gate, a burlap sack or a wooden fruit box. Play with the colors and textures of the materials of the containers, and remember that they do not have to be the main focus of attention, but that this will be the floral arrangement.
The floral oasis
The floral oasis is another very common part when preparing floral arrangements, because it is the base where to hold the flowers. It consists of a green artificial foam sponge or failing that you can use a sponge with a side of green, synthetic scourer, used to wash the dishes by hand. These sponges are usually very small, so they will only serve for a minimal base arrangement, but you can find other sizes or go directly to the specific base that is sold for flower arrangements.
This sponge is placed at the base of the container, be it a horizontal basket or a square or round glass bowl, or a vase. It can be glued with some glue to the floor of the container so that it does not move.
On this sponge the stems of the flowers and plants that are used will be nailed. They can be placed around it to decorate or hide several flat and round pebbles, shells, crushed cork, sawdust, sand, etc …
Placement
Once the sponge is placed, attach the walls of the container with adhesive tape, as explained at the beginning of this article, forming a grid. If the design you have thought of is circular, follow the indications that were given there. But if you have devised another type of design, such as, for example, in groups next to each other, then follow that direction, placing the flowers you want to arrange.
First, the leaves or foliage, ferns, branches or small flowers next to the inner edges of the container, and then the main flowers or plants, to finish with other plants or flowers that you want to stand out less. You can play with the length of the stems and the location of fresh flowers and dried leaves or branches, the colors and species of flowers used.
You can also use artificial flowers, or paint parts of the flowers. You can even simulate dew or raindrops by diluting silicone or white beeswax in a sprinkler and spraying the petals. With all these tips you will achieve a great floral arrangement on every occasion you need.