How to Wire a Carnation

Carnations are beautiful, fragrant flowers that come in a wide variety of colors. They’re a popular choice for flower arrangements and corsages because they look great and they tend to be less expensive than many other types of flowers. You may want to add wire to carnation stems, or replace the stems with wire, to make a flower arrangement or corsage so that the stems will be sturdier and easier to control. Floral wire and tape are available in many craft stores, as well as online. Unlike regular tape, green floral tape is somewhat stretchy and sticky on both sides. It helps keep the moisture in and hides the wire.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• carnations
• floral wire
• wire cutters
• floral tape
• scissors

Add Wire to a Carnation Stem

1. Cut a piece of floral wire the length you want. Corsages typically use wires 6 to 12 inches long, while the wires for flower arrangements can be any length you need.

2. Place the end of the wire near the base of the carnation flower (calyx).

3. Wrap the wire to the stem using floral tape. Make sure to wrap the floral tape tightly, using slightly overlapping twirls of tape. The tape will stretch as you use it.

4. Cut or tear off the end of the floral tape.

5. Press the end of the floral tape to the wrapped tape so that it will stick together.

Replace a Carnation Stem with Wire

6. Cut a piece of floral wire a little more than twice the length you want.

7. Cut off the carnation stem (or leave it attached, if you want to strengthen the original stem).

8. Pierce the base of the carnation flower (calyx) with the end of the wire. Pull the wire through until you have equal amounts of wire on both sides of the flower.

9. Bend the wires down so that they form a stem (or lie close to the original stem).

10. Wrap the wires together using floral tape. Make sure to wrap the floral tape tightly, stretching it slightly as you wrap.

11. Cut off the end of the floral tape. Press the end of the floral tape to the wrapped tape so that it will stick together.

Tips & Warnings

• Once the carnations are wired, you can bend the floral wire to get the precise arrangement of carnations you want.
• Baby’s breath (or gypsophilia) is a popular complement to carnations in flower arrangements and corsages.
• Use caution when working with wire and wire cutters. The ends of the wire will be sharp.

Resources

• Instructions for wiring flowers.
• Instructions for wiring corsage flowers.