How to Design a Flower Bouquet

A simple bouquet can be created by cutting several flower stems and grouping them.

Flower bouquets are used for many events such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, get-well gifts, or just as a token of love and appreciation. Bouquets can be simple, one-flower designs, or complex, exotic creations. Real flowers or silk flowers can be used, along with other material such as feathers, beads, ribbon or whatever you decide. Designing a bouquet is fairly easy to do once you have the basic steps. After learning a few techniques, imagination and creativity are all that will be needed to create your own bouquet for any event. Follow some steps for designing a wedding bouquet, and then modify the design to fit your needs.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Flower stems (30 to 60 for a large bouquet)
• Stem stripper
• Sharp knife
• Vase or bucket
• Paper towels
• Floral tape or rubber band
• Ribbon (optional)
• Pins (straight pins or corsage pins)

1. Remove leaves and thorns. Use a stem stripper which can be purchased at a craft or floral store. Fill a sink with water and, while holding a stem underwater, cut the stem about 2 inches from the bottom. Cut at an angle. Continue to hold the flower underwater for several seconds so the stem absorbs water. Place the stem in a vase or bucket partially filled with cool water while you cut the remainder of the flowers. For silk flowers, you can skip cutting the flowers in water, although you may need to cut the stem shorter.

2. Hold one stem and add three more to form a square. Continue to add flowers around the core square. Place them slightly lower than the middle square to create a dome. Other material such as feathers can be added as you work to place the flowers.

3. Use floral tape to wrap around the stems approximately 3 to 4 inches below the flower heads. This will be where the stems come together. Wrap the stems again approximately 2 inches from the bottom. You can also use a rubber band for this step instead of floral tape. Or, if you are making an arrangement for a vase, you don't need to bind the stems.

4. Cut the bottom of the stems so they are all about 7 to 8 inches long. For arrangements going into vases, you can experiment with cutting stems different lengths to create interesting designs. Pat the stems dry with a paper towel.

5. Cut complementary ribbon a minimum of three times the length of the stems. Insert one end into the top floral tape or rubber band. Wrap down the stems in a spiral. When the ribbon is at the bottom of the stem, wrap another spiral back up. Insert the loose end into the floral tape or rubber band. This can be held in place by inserting straight pins or floral pins into the ribbon and stems.

Tips & Warnings

• For bouquets that are not intended for a wedding, wrapping the stems is not necessary.

• For fresh flowers, keep the bouquet cool until it is ready to be used.

References

• The Knot: Homemade Wedding Bouquets: The Basics
• Floral Craft Source: Flower Arranging Ideas