Flowers are in full bloom this time of year, and don’t you just wish you had the know-how to make any bunch of spring flowers look elegant?   With the right vase and these little tricks we at Papa Ben’s Kitchen have put together, your inner flower arranger can finally bloom.  Flower Arrangements 101 … class is in session.

Flower Arrangements 101

For stiff-stemmed flowers like roses, irises, and mums, a low cube guarantees a graceful grouping. Remove all but the top leaves, which add color while they frame and differentiate blooms. Work in loose layers, weaving stems together to form a mound. Dense arrangements are forgiving: Even if you snip too short, it’s easy to fix the overall shape, because the blooms support one another. Push and pull so that the final product looks natural—slightly imperfect. 

Fill the vase about three-quarters of the way with water. Place a rose in each corner, crisscrossing the stems; the flower heads should protrude about an inch past the edge of the vase. Fill in with more flowers along the edges, weaving a web of stems. For successive layers, cut stems slightly longer and slip them into the webbing. The last roses you add, in the center, should be about a half-inch taller than those on the edges.

Tulips are our personal favorite flower. If you constrain tulips (or calla lilies or ranunculus) about two-thirds of the way up with a cylinder vase, the natural arc of their soft stems will take care of the arranging. 

Cut all stems the same length, snipping each tip on an angle for better water absorption. Fill the vase less than halfway with water. If the flowers are too floppy on their own, gather about a third of them loosely with a rubber band and place them in the center of the vase, with the unfettered tulips draping over the rim. Change the water every couple of days. And check the flowers, too, because they may need snipping. Tulips absorb water and lengthen, which can change the look of a display.

Less is more when it comes to woody stems. Select just three or four sculptural specimens, and use a heavy oblong vase that’s about a third as tall as the branches. Aim for an asymmetrical spray so the branches reach rather than lean.

Clip bottoms. Make an X in the base of each with a pruner; this will help them absorb water. Trim off twigs that will fall below the water line. Fill the vase halfway with water, then add a bag of clear marbles; they’ll give the vase weight and hold the branches exactly where you dig them in, so they won’t lean awkwardly against the side. And stick with an opaque vase, which will hide our little secret inside. To improve the final look, you can snip a stray stem or two, but clip only at the joints, so the tips look natural.

Flowers, don’t have to be expensive to be beautiful, we buy most of our flowers from our local Trader Joe’s. They always have a great selection at an affordable price and we even got some gorgeous yellow tulips last week from Albertsons and they are still looking great. The truth is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money or be a professional to make a beautiful arrangement. Play around, have fun, and be creative. The flowers this time of year are so bright and beautiful, that it doesn’t matter how perfect the arrangement looks, as long as you enjoy them. Flowers brighten any mood and room, so pick some up and test your arranging skills today!  Thank you for reading our Flower Arrangements 101 article!