How to Harvest Flowers for an At-Home Arrangement
You spend all year trying to grow amazing flowers in your garden. Why not use them for a beautiful arrangement you can enjoy indoors or use as a gift for a friend! You should definitely reap the rewards of growing beautiful blooms, especially before they’re gone for the winter. Even if you don’t have flowers that are ready to harvest, everyone should know how to make their own arrangement to enjoy. Making an at-home floral arrangement really isn’t as hard as it seems. It only requires a few simple tools. If you want to make your own floral arrangement out of flowers you’ve grown, or flowers you picked up at the store, read on!
Step 1: Determine if the flowers are ready to harvest
If you want your arrangement to last as long as possible, there are some rules of thumb you should follow. Usually, it’s best to cut flowers when they’re just barely blooming. Also, you want to keep in mind what time of day you’re going to cut them. Flowers are most hydrated in the mornings which means that they will stay perky for longer after they’re cut. You should definitely avoid cutting flowers when the sun is down!
Step 2: Trim
Retrieving the flowers from your garden is pretty self-explanatory, but there are some simple things you want to take into consideration. Before you make cuts, decide what length you want, and keep in mind how it will affect the flower’s ability to grow back. You want to make sure you cut it for the right height of the vase you’re using. It’s always easier to take off length later, but you can never add more on. Always cut more than you think you need to!
You also want to be careful about where you cut. Usually, it’s best to cut right above a node or an off-shooting stem. This way the flower has a really good chance of growing back as beautiful as it was when you cut it. When you make the cut, use sharp scissors to make the healing process easier on the plant. Also, have a bucket of water ready to put your flowers in. They’ll go into a bit of shock once they’ve been cut, so making the transition easier will help them stay healthy for longer.
Step 3: Choose a base
Now it’s time to find or create a base for the arrangement. You may think you need a traditional vase for this, but there are actually lots of cool things you can use! For example, you could use a mug, wineglass, watering can, a hollowed-out pumpkin (perfect for Halloween!), a mason jar, or pretty much anything that can hold some water and flowers in it. The more creative you get, the more eye-catching the arrangement will be!
Once you have your base, you can decide how you want the arrangement to look. If you just want the flowers to sit in water and relax, just fill the base with water and you’re good to go. However, if you want the arrangement to take on another look, you could create a grid over the top of the base using small pieces of painter’s tape or floral tape that will create little holes for the flowers to go into. This will keep them in a more organized look and keep them standing up straight all day!
If you want it to look more like a centerpiece, you can consider getting “floral foam”. This is a common floral design material that is basically a really inexpensive, squishy, green block that will absorb water and is easy to poke flowers into. This method really opens up a lot of design options and can end up creating a really unique look. It makes it easy to stack the flowers at different heights which you can’t do with the other methods.
Step 4: Arrange
The next step is the most fun: arrange the flowers! Now is the time to let your creativity take over. If you’re using multiple kinds of flowers (which is highly recommended) try to randomize the blooms to create diversity and depth. Really, this part can be whatever you want it to be. If you feel stumped, you can always look at Pinterest for some inspiration.
Step 5: Add greenery or other accents
This last step is optional, but can really take an arrangement to a whole new level. Once you have your flowers arranged, if you don’t already have greenery incorporated within the flowers, look around your yard for some leafy bushes with interesting textures and shapes. You can put these stems throughout the arrangement to bring out the colors of the flowers and make the whole thing look fuller. If you want to keep adding to it, you can consider using ornamental grasses or other interesting-looking herbaceous plants. Again, just leave it up to your own preferences and what you think looks best.
Take a step back to fully take in and admire your creation! This brings color and a breath of fresh air to any home. If you have questions or want to incorporate more flowers into your home’s landscape, be sure to give our flower professionals a call.
