DIY Network

Simple Flower Arrangements DIY's "Gardening Made Easy" expert shares great ideas on creating flower arrangements. From "Home Made Easy" episode DHME-140

Host Stephanie Lydecker is joined by guest Fran Sorin, who demonstrates how to create and maintain simple and beautiful flower arrangements

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Guest Fran Sorin shows you how to create a simple—and beautiful—flower arrangement.

Simple Flower Arrangements

Materials:

3 dozen roses (one dozen each of white, soft yellow and soft peach)
greenery
vase
sugar
pruner
cellophane (any color)
rubberband
bow
stapler or tape to secure bouquet

• When you go to a market or a flower stall think about the person you are giving the flowers to. Is this for you? Where will these go? What colors will look nice for the room where the flowers will be? Is this for someone else? What is his/her personality? What is the occasion?

  Note: You want the color and style of the bouquet to reflect the mood you want to create.

• When you select flowers, try to stick with similar colors or even just one color not counting the greens. Don't get less than half a dozen of one type so a good bouquet should have no less than 12 flowers in it. Just one color can make a beautiful statement. Make sure that the flowers you want to purchase complement each other where color and shape are concerned. Roses always make a lovely statement. A big group of tulips are also beautiful.

• For freshly purchased flowers you should immediately place them in cool water in a vase or the sink. Then, you need to cut all the flowers using a pruner. Sharply cut all the flowers on a diagonal.

Arrangement and Preserving Tips

• Take your container and have it filled 2/3 of the way with tepid water and add one teaspoon of sugar or one tablespoon of household bleach. Place the flowers into the vase.

• Fiddle with different compositions. Turn it around and see what you like.

• Add the greenery in and add the flowers.

• Top off or refill the container with fresh water every day.

• As the week progresses, you can continue to trim the bottoms of the stems on a diagonal.

Creating a Bouquet

• Take the flowers and greenery and put a rubberband around its stems to keep it in place.

• Keep them long stemmed.

• Take cellophane paper that you can get at any craft store and wrap it around the bouquet. Then tape or staple securely.

• Add a bow around entire package and that's it!

RESOURCES :

Gardening Tools
Fiskars
Website: www.fiskars.com

Extra Gardening Supplies
Website: www.lowes.com

GUESTS :

Fran Sorin
Author, Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening
0446531669
April, 2004
Warner Books
Website: www.fransorin.com