Formal arrangements made with fresh flowers need not be difficult to look elegant. Floral designer Julia Dalton gives DIY Decorating & Design host Nancy Golden easy tips on dressing up a table with fresh flowers. A row of small vases with a single flower in each makes a striking centerpiece. Use favorite small vases or buy beaker vases at gift shops or floral suppliers. Make a simple low arrangement, perfect for a dining table, by massing a single type of flower in a low vase. A dozen tulips or masses of lisianthius (figure A) make a lush arrangement. Display them in any type of straight-sided vase, and use florist's marbles or gems to hold the stems in place if desired.
People are often intimidated by the idea of arranging roses. One easy technique is to cut roses very short and insert them into floral foam (figure B). Before inserting flowers in floral foam, cut the foam to fit your container, and soak it in water for several hours or overnight. A silver teapot and matching sugar bowl and creamer loaded with roses make a lovely tea-party centerpiece (figure C). Create a candlestick flower arrangement (figure D) by using an adapter, which fits into the top of a candlestick or narrow vase. The adapter holds a piece of floral foam and includes a plastic candleholder (figure E). Tape soaked floral foam into the adapter, and put the plastic candleholder in the middle, then arrange flowers in the floral foam.
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