Flower Arranging
It's February: the doldrums of winter, the month of Valentine's Day, the time when we start aching, longing, and praying for spring.
All of these are reasons to buy fresh flowers.
But arranging these flowers? We know. It's scary. Which is why it's so easy to go for the pre-made bouquets at a flower shop, or to stick to one, simple type, or to forgo flowers altogether and dive into chocolate cake instead.
To get over our flower-arranging anxiety, we spoke to our favorite flower guru: Meredith Sexton, the florist for the Vetri Family of restaurants in Philadelphia. Armed with a good pair of scissors, we got to work -- and realized that the process itself is just as rewarding as the final product.
Choosing your flowers
€ Pick a color sequence of no more than three colors. It's easy to get carried away while browsing a flower shop -- but making something beautiful is easier when your flowers match each other. In the winter, we're fans of purple and orange; white, green and blue; or, in honor of Valentine's Day, red, white, and pink.
€ Get inspired. If you fall in love with one color or type of flower, carry it around the shop with you. Then, match up the potential accompaniments, seeing if their colors and shapes work well together.
€ If you're making multiple bouquets, pick a base flower. Look out for an inexpensive, filler flower in a neutral color -- and then stretch it throughout all of your arrangements. This allows you to buy in bulk -- and to have fun picking special items for each separate bouquet. Meredith is a fan of using white limonium as her base flower; they're small, elegant, and allow the bigger, more colorful flowers to pop.
€ Be wary of the flowers on sale. They're on sale for a reason; the store is trying to move them quickly. If you're looking for your flowers to last up to a week, it's best to buy them full-price.
€ Big flowers stretch the farthest. If you're on a budget -- or if you're nervous about making your own arrangement -- go for a larger type of flower. They take up more space in a bouquet, so you can buy less of them -- and they're easier to work with while building a bouquet.
€ Think about timing. Some flowers, like roses and tulips, benefit from a night in water. If you're building a bouquet for the same day, it's important to keep this in mind.
Arranging your flowers
€ Pick your vase. For a rustic look, we're fans of circular, wide-mouthed vases -- even pitchers. For a more refined arrangement, go for a tall, skinny vase.
€ Where will your flowers be standing? Is your arrangement a centerpiece for a table? Will the vase be standing against a wall? The placement of your bouquet will determine how you arrange it.
€ If you're using a round, wide-mouthed vase, make the arrangement in your hand first. Start with the flowers you'd like in the center, and start building around them, rotating the bouquet in your hand. When you're satisfied, you can cut them all together -- and just plop them in your vase!
€ If you're using a tall, skinny vase, think about height. Since these vases look beautiful standing against a wall, take advantage of your point of reference. Starting from the front, build your bouquet upwards, so that the tallest flowers stand up in the back. Here's where your filler flowers come in; use them as your tall backdrop, while letting your colors pop in the front.
€ Prune, prune, prune. Just because you buy the flowers a certain way doesn't mean they're finished. Trim away all extra leaves, thorns, branches, and other distractions; you want the flowers themselves to shine.
All of these are reasons to buy fresh flowers.
But arranging these flowers? We know. It's scary. Which is why it's so easy to go for the pre-made bouquets at a flower shop, or to stick to one, simple type, or to forgo flowers altogether and dive into chocolate cake instead.
To get over our flower-arranging anxiety, we spoke to our favorite flower guru: Meredith Sexton, the florist for the Vetri Family of restaurants in Philadelphia. Armed with a good pair of scissors, we got to work -- and realized that the process itself is just as rewarding as the final product.
Choosing your flowers
€ Pick a color sequence of no more than three colors. It's easy to get carried away while browsing a flower shop -- but making something beautiful is easier when your flowers match each other. In the winter, we're fans of purple and orange; white, green and blue; or, in honor of Valentine's Day, red, white, and pink.
€ Get inspired. If you fall in love with one color or type of flower, carry it around the shop with you. Then, match up the potential accompaniments, seeing if their colors and shapes work well together.
€ If you're making multiple bouquets, pick a base flower. Look out for an inexpensive, filler flower in a neutral color -- and then stretch it throughout all of your arrangements. This allows you to buy in bulk -- and to have fun picking special items for each separate bouquet. Meredith is a fan of using white limonium as her base flower; they're small, elegant, and allow the bigger, more colorful flowers to pop.
€ Be wary of the flowers on sale. They're on sale for a reason; the store is trying to move them quickly. If you're looking for your flowers to last up to a week, it's best to buy them full-price.
€ Big flowers stretch the farthest. If you're on a budget -- or if you're nervous about making your own arrangement -- go for a larger type of flower. They take up more space in a bouquet, so you can buy less of them -- and they're easier to work with while building a bouquet.
€ Think about timing. Some flowers, like roses and tulips, benefit from a night in water. If you're building a bouquet for the same day, it's important to keep this in mind.
Arranging your flowers
€ Pick your vase. For a rustic look, we're fans of circular, wide-mouthed vases -- even pitchers. For a more refined arrangement, go for a tall, skinny vase.
€ Where will your flowers be standing? Is your arrangement a centerpiece for a table? Will the vase be standing against a wall? The placement of your bouquet will determine how you arrange it.
€ If you're using a round, wide-mouthed vase, make the arrangement in your hand first. Start with the flowers you'd like in the center, and start building around them, rotating the bouquet in your hand. When you're satisfied, you can cut them all together -- and just plop them in your vase!
€ If you're using a tall, skinny vase, think about height. Since these vases look beautiful standing against a wall, take advantage of your point of reference. Starting from the front, build your bouquet upwards, so that the tallest flowers stand up in the back. Here's where your filler flowers come in; use them as your tall backdrop, while letting your colors pop in the front.
€ Prune, prune, prune. Just because you buy the flowers a certain way doesn't mean they're finished. Trim away all extra leaves, thorns, branches, and other distractions; you want the flowers themselves to shine.
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