how the word “hydrangea” sounds like hydrate? These beauties need a lot of water! If you find your hydrangeas start to wilt prematurely, totally submerge them in a bath of water for about 45 minutes or longer
since hydrangeas also drink through their bloom.
Use a baby bottle brush to clean hard-to-reach,
narrow flower vases.
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Invest in an inexpensive Lazy Susan to place your container on top and go to work. It gives you easy viewing from all angles so you can see if you have
any empty spots that need filling in.
Beware the pollen of Casablanca lilies. The pollen is quick to stain most everything they touch, but they can be easily removed. Use a wet paper towel and gently pull them off from the lily. The lily still looks beautiful,
but now there’s no risk of stains.
Have your phone ready to take photos of your arrangement. It’s amazing how helpful this is in determining where to add flowers or what to remove
to create balance.
Tulips are fragile and can droop quite easily, but did you know that can be remedied with the help of vodka? Add a splash to the water in the container
and the flowers should perk up again.
Get a lush, full effect by slipping a silk orchid in
with the real flowers.
Creating a garden arrangement in your own backyard? Cut your flowers first thing in the morning, which is when they are most hydrated, and immediately submerge the stems in a water-filled vase to make
them last longer.
If your non-glass vase is too deep for your flowers to rest on the rim, stuff some cellophane (such as the cellophane that the flowers came wrapped in) into the
bottom to provide support and height.
For dining table flower designs, put your elbows on the table and make the height of your centerpiece no higher than the height of your wrist.Now people
can still have conversations while enjoying the flowers.
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Alum is a pickling spice found at the grocery store or online and can be used for persnickety hydrangeas that wilt expectantly. Dip the freshly cut tip of the hydrangea stem in the alum before adding to your
arrangement for a longer-lasting bloom.
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GETTING STARTED
PICKING
flower combinations
When I buy flowers,I am usually in a rush. Helping me narrow down my choices prevents me from overbuying and makes the process go much faster. Here are some
helpful tips I use to create flower bouquets.
ONE COLORYou can never go wrong with a single color of the same flower.True perfection is a massivebouquet of pink peonies. Actually,a massivebouquet of
anything is beautiful.
CONNECTED COLORSFor a bouquet with more variety, I take my cues from Mother Nature. Pick a flower that has two colors in it, for example, a yellow Gerbera daisy with a pink center.For the second flower in the bouquet, look for a bloom that matches the daisy’s pink center, like a pink hydrangea. Ifyou want a third flower in your bouquet, add another pink OR yellow option, like a pink or yellow rose. You know the flowers will work in the bouquet because the colors
naturally connect to each other.
MIXED COLORSIf the flower you like doesn’t have an obvious secondary color, then use the color wheel diagram below to help createyour arrangement. (Hint: take a picture ofthe diagram on your smartphone so that you will have it handy when you shop.) For a beautiful contrastingbouquet, pick colors from the opposite sides of the diagram. For a bouquet with more complementary colors, choose colors thatare nextto each other on the diagram. For an ombre effect, startwith a favorite flower, then look for flowers of the same color in graduatinghues to form your bouquet. I liketo keep brightcolors with other bright colors, pastel colors with other pastels, but feel free to experiment with what suits your own personal taste. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules—it’s all about what speaksto you personally. The page atthe
right has some of my favorite color combinations.
The classic color
wheel.
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ADDING NEUTRALS Green and white flowers act as neutrals and can be added to any flower mix. White flowers provide crisp contrast toother colorful flowers while green flowers blend softly between the blooms.Both neutrals can enhanceany arrangement. White flowers are easy to find; green flowers are less so,but
green hydrangeas are my go-to bloom.
ADDING GREENSThough beginners usually overlook adding greens to theirarrangement, flowers pop with more vibrancyand drama when they’re contrasted with green foliage. You could buy greens anywhere, or save some money and snip foliage from the backyard.Some of
my favorite greens are silver eucalyptus leaves (a bonus if
they have berries), lemon leaves, and of course the leaves that are already on the flowers you’re using.For my purposes, I usually consider white and green hydrangeas
as both greens and part of the flower selection.
ADDING TEXTUREOften forgotten, especially by beginners, textural elements add visual interest and dimension to flower arrangements. Textures act like neutrals, but they havea frilly, nubby, or bumpy appearance that contraststo the smoothness of flower petals and leaves that is appealing.Some of my favorite types of texture are Queen Anne’sLace,Hypericum berries, rosemary, eucalyptus berries, and even flower
buds that haven’t bloomed yet.
A few of my favorite color combinations
(remember to add neutrals, greens, and texture to complete the arrangement)
