How Do I Make a Bouquet With Rose and Freesia Flowers?

Freesia pairs well with roses.

The sweet smell of freesia and the timeless appeal of roses create a bouquet that will delight most recipients. Ask your florist to combine white rose with white freesia for a traditional look or combine fuchsia roses with yellow freesia for an eye-popping combination. Present the flowers as a thank you gesture, get well gift or just because. With a few minutes and a little preparation, you can make your own bouquet of rose and freesia.

Things You'll Need

• Stem stripper
• Roses
• Freesia
• Ribbon
• Bucket
• Flower cutter
• Vase
• Flower preservative

Instructions

Prepare the Flowers

1. Remove any wilted or damaged flower petals.

2. Remove all of the leaves from the stem of the flowers using your hand. On the roses, leave two or three leaves toward the top closest to the flower.

3. Strip the thorns the roses, using the stem stripper. Hold it just below the leaves you intend to leave. Apply firm pressure to close it around the stem. Lightly drag it down to the end of the stem.

4. Cut the stems of the roses to the length you desire for your bouquet. Cut them under running water. Use your vase to judge the proper measurement. Leave flowers long for a tall vase; cut them for a short one. After cutting the stem, place it in a small bucket filled with water until you are ready to start building the bouquet.

5. Trim the stems of the freesia diagonally. Place each stem in the bucket immediately after you cut it.

Build the Bouquet

1. Fill the vase with tepid water.

2. Add the flower preservative according to manufacturer's directions.

3. Put three roses in the vase in the formation of a triangle. Insert each additional rose, letting their stems cross so the flowers anchor each other.

4. Place freesia in the bouquet randomly. Turn the vase and look at the arrangement to ensure that it is even. Make adjustments where necessary by gently adjusting the position of the flowers.

Tips & Warnings

• Always use a clean vase or container for your flowers and add preservative; otherwise bacteria and fungi will enter the stem and multiply, causing the flowers to wilt.

• Make a hand-held rose and freesia bouquet by gently gathering prepared flowers into you hand and tying them with a ribbon bow just beneath the base of the flower heads.

• Preserve it until use by placing it in a vase of water.

• Flowers are alive, so they continue to drink water. To make your flowers last longer, "use a clean vase or container and check the water level daily," according to the University of Minnesota Department of Horticulture. Add new water and preservative as the water level falls.

• If you don't have a stem stripper, use a small pairing knife to scrape thorns from the stems of the roses.

• Make sure that leaves don't touch the water in the vase. They release bacteria, which can kill the flowers.

References

• Wedding Channel: Do it Yourself
• University of Minnesota Department of Horticulture: Keeping Cut Flowers and Flowing Plants