DIY Network

Do-It-Yourself Floral Arrangements From "Ask DIY Gardening" episode DADG-109

These two flower arrangements were made with greenery from ordinary houseplants mixed with flowers bought from a florist.

Q: I'd like to save a few pennies and make my own floral arrangements. Do you have any tips and ideas for mixing things from my own garden with the florist's fresh flowers?

A: (from DIY's gardening expert Jessie Mack Burns) Yes, you can make a really stunning floral display by mixing in your home-grown greenery with fresh flowers you bought at the store. Here are some suggestions.

advertisement

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Roses and Greenery

• Sometimes fresh-cut flowers can look "lost" in a large vase. Cuttings from household and backyard plants can help fill in and beef up an arrangement. For our demonstration, for example, we started with asparagus fern (figure A) to add filler and ivy leaves to soften the overall look of the arrangement. We used these in conjunction with a half-dozen fresh long-stemmed roses.

• Strips of green florist tape can be used to create a grid at the top of your vase (figure B) to help support and space out the long-stemmed flowers and other elements of your arrangement.

• Strip away the excess leaves from the bottom of your rose stems. Using scissors, trim the bottom tips with the ends of the stems submerged in water (figure C) to help prevent air from entering the capillaries of the stem. This will help the rose stems take up water more efficiently. Use caution to avoid getting stuck by the thorns!

  Tip: To help prevent bacterial growth, add a few drops of bleach to the water in your vase before adding any flowers.

• Begin placing your rose stems in the grid, spacing them fairly evenly and uniformly (figure D).

• Once all the roses are in place, fill in with long stems of asparagus fern. Strip the excess foliage from the bottom of the fern just as you did with the rose stems. Continue filling in the arrangement with strips of ivy. The extra greenery supports and accentuates the look of the roses while helping the color of the roses stand out (figure E).

	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H
	Figure I

Mixed-Flower Arrangment

• For our second floral arrangement, we started with a mixed bouquet like those typically found in a floral department of a supermarket (figure F). Once again, ordinary houseplants helped spruce up the arrangement.

• Start with a block of floral foam as a base. Saturate the floral-foam block in water treated with preservative (figure G) or a few drops of bleach. The bleach or preservative will help prevent the growth of bacteria and will keep the water and flowers fresh longer.

• Cut the floral foam to fit the container you'll be using (figure H) .

• Place greenery such as Boston fern or asparagus fern into the foam as filler. You can also use the leaves of the peace-lily houseplant. Continue adding greenery as you begin adding in your flowers (figure I).

• Arrange to your liking as you add the remainder of the cut flowers.

RESOURCES :
Fast Flower Arranging
Model: 0789423944
Author: Jane Packer
(June, 1998)

DK Publishing - Main Office
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212-213-4800
Fax: 212-213-5240

Flowers Cut and Dried: The Essential Guide to Growing, Drying and Arranging
Model: 0823018512
Author: Caroline Alexander

Fresh Flowers: Home Decorating Workbooks with 20 Step-by-Step Projects
Model: 0823023273
Author: Nikki Tibbles

Complete Guide to Flower Arranging
Model: 078943752X
Author: Jane Packer
(1999)

DK Publishing - Main Office
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212-213-4800
Fax: 212-213-5240