When I was in college I made extra money over the holidays by working at a flower shop, and during my stint as an assistant florist I learned some pretty great tricks for creating arrangements and making the arrangements last. I always feel so special when someone sends me flowers, but until I learned some helpful tips from a florist my bouquets did not last long and flowers were only in the house when they were delivered on special occasions. However, the story is completely different since I spent time working at a flower shop. I often have flowers in the house, and they always look great and last longer than I would expect. Please try some of these easy tricks so you can also have some flowers to make you feel special whenever you want!
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Use Scotch Tape to Make a Pretty Arrangement
Next time you want to make a flower arrangement pull out the clear scotch tape you use to wrap presents, and follow these simple steps to create an arrangement that won’t droop. First, fill your vase with water, and then use the tape to create a grid over the opening of the vase. Once you do this all you have to do is put the flowers in the vase and the tape grid you created will hold the flowers up! This is one of my favorite tricks that I learned while working at a flower shop, because my flowers never droop or fall to one side of the vase anymore. When you try this simple tip you will be surprised at how well it works, and you will feel really crafty while you make your arrangement!
Remove the Stamen from Lilies
When I used to receive a bouquet of lilies I would always end up with a mess of orange pollen on the table where I placed the arrangement. However, I didn’t have to have this orange pollen mess on my table and you don’t either. It is such an easy problem to prevent. When your lilies start to open, all you have to do is pluck off the orange stamen. It is that simple! I wish I had always known this, but now that I do, I am not afraid of having lily dust all over my table.
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Remove the Birthing Petals from Roses
If you want to make your own bouquet of roses, you can ensure they will open up by removing the outer petals. The outer, darker petals of a rose are called the birthing petals, and if your roses aren’t open yet these petals can keep the rose from fully blooming. Sometimes they have already been removed, but if you see older, darker petals just pull them out. When my boss first had me do this I felt like it was really wrong to pluck petals off a rose, but I learned that it can make a difference and I don’t feel bad anymore. I now confidently remove the petals and my roses look much nicer.
Keep It Simple
When you are making your own flower arrangement one of the easiest ways to create a beautiful arrangement is to keep it simple. Some of the prettiest floral arrangements I have seen have only one type of flower or use different flowers in the same color. A favorite trick of mine is to get a bunch of Gerbera Daisies in different colors and arrange them in a plain crystal or glass vase. It looks both modern and cheerful, and it is so incredibly easy! Plus, whenever I have a bunch of Gerbera Daisies in the house I can’t help but smile every time I see them!
Play with Height
At the flower shop I noticed that the florists were very careful to cut the flowers at different heights. If you have taller flowers in the center of the vase and shorter flowers near the edge of the vase it creates an arrangement that looks very full. When I varied the heights of flowers in my own arrangements I realized how much better my flowers looked. When I just plopped them in the vase after bringing them home from the grocery store they never looked quite right. Yet, when I took a little time and cut the flowers and arranged them one by one with different heights I suddenly had an arrangement that looked professional!
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Remove Extra Greenery
Until I worked at a florist shop, I always thought the extra green leaves on the flowers made the arrangements look good. However, after one day in the store I realized how wrong I was. At every florist’s station was a huge pile of greenery they had cut off the flowers! When I saw this I decided to look at their arrangements more closely, and I discovered that by removing the greenery the flowers stood out more in the arrangements. Now, I always take off the extra leaves, and I am also left with a big pile of greenery when I am finished with my flower arrangements!
Use the Packet of Flower Food
This tip seems so simple, but it is really important. I asked one of the florists one day if the packet of food was really necessary, and they explained that it helps the flowers last longer and look healthier. These little packets are kind of like Miracle Grow for cut flowers. When I get or make an arrangement I always put half the packet in the water and save the other half for a few days later when I change the water. In doing this, the flowers get fresh, clean water and more food. I find that splitting the packet up like this actually helps the arrangement last much longer.
Having fresh flowers around always makes a woman feel special, and every woman should feel special every day. With these simple tricks I learned from a flower shop it is very easy to have flowers that last and look pretty any time you want. So, buy yourself a bouquet of your favorite flowers that you know you deserve and enjoy! What are some of your favorite tips for making flower arrangements look amazing?
