What do you call a country with only pink automobiles?

A pink carnation!

Okay, don't use carnations (yuk) but you can certainly make your own floral arrangements.  I love buying fresh flowers and putting them all over my house, and when I throw a party in my own home, I always make my own arrangements, sometimes even from the flowers in my garden!  I grow peonies, black eyed susans, daisies, and other cutting flowers, and my forsythia's branches or hasta leaves make a great filler. 

Here's how to make your own arrangements...

First decide on your look.  Do you want something low and full or tall and sculptural?  Are you looking to coordinate with a color scheme?  Make those decisions and choose your container and flowers accordingly.

When you bring your flowers home, trim the ends with sharp scissors immediately and but them into a bucket of warm water until you are ready to use them.  When you're ready, you'll need to trim them a bit once again.  Also, always remove any leaves that will be in the water of your arrangements.

Also, keep the bouquet away from sunlight, and re trim and refill with water every other day or so.


You could decide to do one color in varying shades....

The shades of purple in this vase are created by lots of different flowers.  Start with the largest flowers first and keep spinning the container as you add flowers from largest to smallest to make sure it's full all the way around.  Here they used some grass inside the glass container to hide the stems or floral foam.  you can use large leaves, or even fill the glass with other things like citrus fruit, ornamental balls, river rocks, whatever you like.


I also like all one color arrangements...

I like white flowers in a white container in my dressing room.  To do a low arrangement like the one in the bowl, you will need to use floral foam.  Soak the foam in water for 15 minutes, then cut it to fit perfectly in your container, cut your flowers and stick into the foam, then add more water.  They will last for a long time.  Foam is also the key to using a basket or other unconventional container. 

And of course, you can always buy the grocery store bouquets and make them a lot more beautiful....

When you get them home, choose a shorter vase.  Cut the flower down rather short to fit into it, and here's the trick:  arrange them in clusters of the same flower instead of all dispersed like they sell it to you.

Finally, there is always the options of the same flower in many colors....

I love tulips, they are actually my favorite.   I love when they gracefully drape themselves and bend around the vase, but if you want to keep them standing straight longer, drop a penny into the water.  I don't know why that works, but it does.


Bring Spring in early with some flowers today!

~ Sue