How to Make Simple Flower Arrangements with a Few Simple Tips and Tricks

Today's DIY Gardening post moves out of the garden and up to the house for some simple flower arrangements. These basic flower arranging techniques keep my home stocked with fresh flowers from March to August and it is certainly more a pleasure than a chore! Join me today as we tackle DIY Gardening in the Flower Arranger's seat!

Tempting isn't it? Those peonies are coming!! Those little red spikes should be pushing up out of the ground right about now (mine are about a little less than an inch at the moment here in zone 6) and before you know it, the peonies will be here!

Until then, I am enjoying the birds flocking around the birdfeeders and staking out nesting spots and am getting my supplies ready for the earliest spring arrangements!

How to Create a Basic Short-Stem Arrangement

When you cut flower arrangements, are you forever pulling flowers in and out, in and out, in and out of the vase, measuring, snipping stems, measuring again -- in and out, in and out, in and out? If so, then you are being FAR too hard on yourselves. Let me let you in on a little secret....

Particularly with small arrangements, clusters of wildflowers or same species flowers, basic arrangements -- there is no need to measure a million times.

1. Make your arrangement IN YOUR HANDS. Don't even mess with a vase if the flowers can all fit in your hand. Work the flowers around until they look right. Keep moving things up, down and around until the arrangement looks good from every angle.

2.. Way up high in the bouquet, right where you were holding the flowers, tie the bouquet with a piece of twine or rope. I am using my green "baker's twine" clothesline because it blends in fairly well. Brown or green twine is another great option.

3. Now it is time to break out your vase and container. Instead of putting the flowers in and out and measuring a bunch of times, I simply hold the arrangement next to the vase, placing the flowers where I want them to hit the rim and gently bend the stems at the bottom. Put your second hand where they naturally bend and cut there. Place the flowers in the vase and they will fit perfectly around the rim.

Notice how the flowers and foliage sit perfectly on the rim all the way around the arrangement. From each side, the arrangement looks perfect because I created it in my hands where it is easy to adjust and then tied the stems to keep the arrangement solid. This whole process takes about 3 minutes start to finish...and is SO much easier than pulling flowers in and out of dripping water over and over and over again! Try it out and I'd love to see your mini-arrangements! Feel free to share them on the facebook page!