How to Arrange Flowers Like a Pro (2024)

Looking for ways to make your own flower arrangement? Learn how to arrange flowers like a pro with these simple tips.

If you’ve ever marveled at the stunning arrangements created by professional florists and wished you could work your magic with flowers, you’re in the right place.

Because I’m thrilled to be your guide helping you discover the joys of flower arranging.

As a seasoned gardener with over 25 years of experience, I’ve learned a thing or two about turning a bunch of blooms into a work of art.

And the truth of the matter is…it’s super easy to do! It might look complicated, but we’ll keep things pretty casual here with no stuffy rules or complicated techniques.

Whether you are arranging flowers in a vase or as a centerpiece on the dining table, follow these simple tips for success.

So grab your favorite blooms, unleash your creativity, and let’s dive into the wonderful world of arranging flowers together!

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Is It Cheaper to Make Your Own Bouquet?

Absolutely it is.

And it’s more rewarding too.

If you don’t have access to a cut flower garden, head over to your local florist or market to pick up a few bunches of flowers.

That said, there are a few things you’ll need to buy if you don’t already have them so you can make your own arrangements.

Sometimes the up-front costs make it seem like it’s more expensive to make your own, but once you have some supplies on hand, you’ll be good to go.

Which Flowers Are Used For Making Bouquets?

There’s no right or wrong way to make an arrangement.

But you do want to keep in mind balance, scale, color, texture, and interest when you are making one.

Particularly when you are DIYing it, choose flowers that YOU enjoy.

But there are a few tried and true favorites that we commonly see in bouquets, such as:

• Roses
• Chrysanthemums
• Carnations
• Baby’s Breath
• Ferns (greens)
• Sunflowers
• Ranunculus
• Scabiosa
• Tulips
• Daffodils
• Peonies
• Hydrangeas
• Lilacs
• Snapdragons
• Dahlias
• Zinnias
• Sedums

When growing flowers to cut or purchasing bunches, consider the color combination, texture and dimension the arrangement will have when it’s complete.

If you are going with one type of flower, you’ll want to add some greens to balance the arrangement out.

But if you want a mix of blooms?

Select flowers that are different sizes, colors, shapes and textures to add interest to the arrangement.

How Do You Arrange a Bunch of Flowers?

Arranging flowers is so fun and easy to do.

While working, it’s important to ensure that it looks symmetrical, so you’ll want to turn the arrangement frequently as you create a design.

It’s easiest to create a base layer of greenery first to help anchor the flowers as you add them.

And it’s helpful to use some tape or floral foam to keep the flowers and greens in place.

Supplies Needed to Arrange Flowers

• Snips or Sharp Scissors
• Fresh Flowers
• Plant Food
• Vase, Container, Bucket, or Other Vessel
• Floral Tape, Floral Frog, or Wet Floral Foam
• Water

How to Arrange Flowers Like a Pro

• Gather all of the supplies before getting started.
• Remove extra foliage, particularly those that may fall beneath the water line.
• Before making fresh cuts, measure the flowers against the container to see where you want to cut. Make fresh cuts on a diagonal.
• Fill the container with fresh water halfway.
• Add plant food to the container before making the arrangement.
• Start with fresh foliage plants first and make a base that will hold the flowers.
• Next add the flowers that will be the focal point like roses or hydrangeas.
• Then add in filler or smaller flowers like baby’s breath or chrysanthemums.
• Step back and see if you need to rearrange to get the right look.

How I Arranged This Fresh Flower Centerpiece for the Dining Table

Originally, I started with just tape (without floral foam) in this gold, hammered ice bucket.

But the flowers were flopping over too much because the container is so large.

So I added some wet floral foam at the base to help hold the flowers as I worked.

I started with a base of greenery going around the container.

Then added my focal point flowers: hydrangeas and roses.

To finish off the arrangement, I added some baby’s breath and carnations.

And to add a little more texture to the arrangement, I tucked in beautiful white fluffy chrysanthemums.

As I worked I moved flowers around until I felt the arrangement had the right balance, contrast, dominance, proportion, scale and rhythm.

Sometimes, I’ll create a design, not love it, remove all the flowers and start over.

I did that a few times while making this particular centerpiece.

So don’t give up!

Quick Tips for Arranging Flowers

• Change the water every 3 days and feed them.
• Be sure to remove all foliage that falls beneath the waterline.
• Always cut stems on a diagonal so they can soak up more water.
• Pick your vase before choosing your flowers.
• Make sure the vase or container vessel is clean.
• Use wet floral foam, floral frog, or tape to help anchor flowers in place.
• To make the arrangement more unique, add other organic elements that might be unexpected like berries, pine cones, or succulents.

How to Keep Fresh Flowers Longer

Now that you designed a beautiful arrangement, how do you keep fresh flowers the longest?

Whether you grow your own flowers to cut or pick them up at the local market, there’s nothing quite like a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers.

So we want them to last as long as possible.

CLICK HERE to see what you need to do to keep those flowers looking fresh and beautiful!

How to Keep Your Fresh Cut Hydrangeas from Wilting

Have you ever noticed that sometimes hydrangeas wilt when you use them in fresh-cut flower arrangements?

There are a few tricks to keep them from drooping.

CLICK HERE to get see what you need to do to keep hydrangeas from wilting.

Want to Grow Your Own Flowers to Make Arrangements?

If you’ve always wanted a cut flower garden, you’ve got to grow one!

It’s not hard to start one and is so rewarding to go outside, cut your own flowers, and make arrangements.

Last year, I was making bouquets all season long!

CLICK HERE to learn how to start your own cut flower garden.

More Arranging Flowers

Do you enjoy arranging your own flowers too? What type of containers do you like to use? I would love to know more in the comments below.

And don’t miss joining my Gardening DIY and Decorating Community on Facebook for more chatter. And follow along there and on Instagram as well. There are behind-the-scenes daily things that I share on Instagram that don’t make it to the blog. Would love to see you there too!

If you prefer to binge-watch Bricks ’n Blooms on TV, we go more in-depth with tours and posts on my YouTube channel. Would love to hang out with you there!

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Garden Supplies I Use

I’m often asked about the garden supplies and tools that I use most. From pruners to deer repellents, here are some of my favorites in no particular order.

• I like to use good-quality garden soil, compost, and perlite when planting.
• I have used this deer repellent with great success. But now, I’m all about this deer repellent that is systemic instead of topical. This means the plant takes it in as opposed to it just smelling bad.
• Hands down this is my favorite hand-weeding tool. You can use to get underneath roots, loosen soil, and it cuts down on the weeding time because you work much faster.
• But I also love this long, stand-up weeding tool to really get around roses from afar.
• I like to use THIS ORGANIC FERTILIZER for roses because the blooms are more prolific and it’s organic.
• You’ll need a sharp set of pruners when working with plants and flowers. I buy a few so I can stash them around.
• Where pest and disease problems are concerned, I generally use this insecticidal soap or neem oil to help control infestations depending on the issue.
• This is my favorite set-and-forget slow-release fertilizer for houseplants, annuals, and container gardens.
• Whenever I stake my peonies or other plants, I generally use these grow-through garden supports because they work really well and keep the blooms upright.

Want to Make a Fresh Flower Centerpiece With Me?

Join me in the cut flower garden as we choose flowers for a gorgeous fall harvest centerpiece.

Wait until you see how easy it was to make!

More Centerpiece Ideas You Might Enjoy Using Faux Flowers and Greens

• Centerpiece Ideas for the Dining Table
• Vintage Flowers Centerpiece Idea
• Birdhouse Centerpiece Idea for Spring
• Rustic Farmhouse Spring Centerpiece Idea

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