Sep 4, 2020

How to Make a Bouquet of Flowers: A Beginner’s Guide

A timeless and beautiful gift, a bouquet of flowers can be a meaningful decoration for any occasion. You’ve probably sent a bouquet to your mother for Mother’s Day, or to your partner as a symbol of love and affection on for an anniversary (or an everyday symbol of appreciation). You’ve seen the effect a floral bouquet can have on someone; the joy and appreciation of the receiver are incredible.

What if next time you wanted to surprise someone you love, you made the bouquet with your own unique touch? The flowers will mean that much more to your loved one if you’re giving them a vase filled with a beautiful handmade floral arrangement.

Make flowers into gifts by learning how to make a bouquet. This beautiful hobby can become a skill your friends will love you for!

What You’ll Need

Before you go picking flowers, make sure you have everything else that you need to make a bouquet. There are some basic gardening tools you should have, and of course, you need the perfect vase. Make sure you have scissors that can cut all the way through the stems of your flowers— garden shears work best, but scissors will do in a pinch.

One specialty item you may need to pick up is floral tape or stem wrap. This is a special thick tape meant especially for building a bouquet. Its green color will blend in with your stems seamlessly and work much better than using standard clear tape. This will mostly come in handy if you plan on having multiple flowers as the base or center of your bouquet.

The vase will be the display for your bouquet, so be sure to pick one that fits the design you are going for. A short, round vase will showcase a variety of small flowers while a large tall vase will need flowers that match its size. Consider what flowers you want to use so that you pick the right vase for your arrangement.

To get started, you will need:

Shears (or heavy-duty scissors)
Floral tape stem wrap (optional)
A vase
Flower food/bleach (preservatives)
Flowers!

Pick Your Flowers

Decide what kinds of colors you want in your bouquet. Before you pick flowers, have a clear idea of the color scheme and theme of your arrangement.

Any flower can be used when you make a bouquet. When planning your colors and theme, be aware of the seasonality of your desired flowers. Depending on the season, you may not be able to fill a bouquet with sunflowers, but you may be able to find yellow daisies that fit your color scheme instead.

Remember that your bouquet will need both a focal point flower and accent flowers. Don’t pick flowers that all look the same or that are the same color. A pleasing bouquet will have texture and variety.

You have several shopping options for finding flowers for your bouquet. There are garden and flower marketplaces that offer incredibly fresh flowers to the public. You can also go to common supermarkets and find relatively fresh flowers available. You could even pick them yourself outside, if it’s the right time of year!

When picking your flowers just remember:

Stick to a color scheme/theme
Pick 1-3 flowers for your focal point
Pick 3-5 flower for accents (depending on your vase size)
Consider what is in season and what flowers are fresh

Set Up Your Space

Make space for prepping and building your bouquet. You will want a large flat area where you can lie out your flowers. Your space should be easy to clean and have somewhere to throw away your debris. The kitchen is often a great place to work that can offer a lot of space and fresh water for the flowers. Working outside is a great option as well, because you can keep the mess outdoors and better manage your flowers, as long as you keep them out of the sun.

When you set up your space to make a bouquet, you will want to have fresh cool water for your flowers to sit in as you prepare them. Make sure all your items are ready to go in your workspace before you get started, to minimize the time your flowers just sit there. Have your vase ready with water and flower food, and if you don’t have flower food use a small amount of bleach in the water as a disinfectant. This is to preserve your flowers for a long-lasting bouquet.

Your space should have:

A large flat surface
A bag or trashcan for flower debris
A bucket or bag for holding fresh flowers
Your vase prepped with the preservative of your choice

Prep Your Flowers

Now that you’ve set up your space, you can start preparing your flowers for the bouquet. Keep your flowers healthy as you clean them by leaving them in water in a cool place away from the sun. For each flower, you will want to cut the stem and prune the leaves, removing all the excess leaves from the stem that would be in the water. After you remove the first leaves, assess the flower’s bloom, and remove any petals that are loose or dead.

When cutting the stem of your flower, make a diagonal cut. Your stem should have a steep angle on the bottom. Be sure to keep enough length on the stem so that the bloom sits about an inch above the top of the vase. Remember to put the flowers back in cool water as you continue to prune your other flowers.

As you’re pruning and removing large leaves, be sure to keep them in your bucket or bag. The larger leaves and extra greenery can be used in your bouquet as an added accent. You may not need the stems but keep the good trimmings from your flowers.

To prepare flowers for a bouquet:

Cut the stem at an angle
Remove leaves and thorns from the stem
Remove blemished or dead petals
Keep them cool and hydrated

Start Putting Your Flowers Together

You’re almost there! Start putting your flowers together, making sure there are appropriate heights. Before building the bouquet in the vase, try different patterns for the flowers. Get a visual for how the flowers will look together by holding them in your hand and building a temporary bouquet. Try experimenting with the different patterns to find the look you love the most.

Make sure your base is secure if you have more than one focal flower. Take the two or three flowers that will make the center of your bouquet and wrap them together, with each bloom laid flat. Wrap the stems about one to two inches from the bloom to secure them all together. This way they will not move as you add your other flowers around it when you make your bouquet.

Before you get started building a bouquet:

Double-check your flower stem lengths
Pick your focal flower
Find the perfect pattern with your flowers
Build the base

Build The Bouquet

The first step to building a bouquet starts with the base. Put your focal flower or flowers in your vase and begin adding the accent flowers around it. Play with the pattern and colors you see. When it comes to designing your bouquet, you want to follow a certain rhythm in the composition of the flowers. Use your focal flowers to connect your smaller or accent flowers and create a cohesive bouquet.

You want to avoid making your bouquet a random mess. Keep an eye on the colors and movement of your flowers. The flowers should make a visual pattern or come together to complete a design. Build around your focal point with complimenting flowers, not grouping too many same colors or textures together

After you’ve settled on your design, go back to your trimmings, and spruce up your vase bouquet with some greenery.

When you make a bouquet stick to these rules:

Build around your focal flower
Use varying colors and textures to create a pattern
Create a visual flow
Have an odd number of flowers

Make It Your Own

You can make unique floral bouquets following these easy steps! All it takes are the few basic tools we outlined and your own creativity! Create your own beautiful design to spruce up your house or brighten up someone’s day.

In Summary

If making your own bouquet sounds like a little too much work for you, but you’re still looking for one of a kind floral arrangements, Venus ET Fleur® is the perfect source for a gorgeous piece. Our Eternity® Roses will last a year or more with proper care, allowing you to enjoy their beauty month after month. There’s never a bad time to share a beautiful bouquet with your friends and loved ones. Whether you’re making your own or letting Venus ET Fleur share in the moment, we hope this guide brings you closer to the perfect bouquet for your next special occasion.