Calla Lilies: A Tall, Thin Drink of Water

Materials

Flowers and Foliage
9 yellow calla lilies
1 bunch birch twigs

Other Materials
clear glass column vase (20 inches high)
raffia
florist's scissors
sterilizing tablet or flower food

Possible Substitutions
Arum lilies or ginger lilies (for calla lilies), bamboo (for birch twigs)

If the birch twigs are in leaf when you buy them, strip all the leaves off before you use them. Make sure the calla lilies have a long drink of water before you arrange them, as the bound stems will be hard to recut.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - Fresh Flower Arranging © 2011 Dorling Kindersley Limited

How to Arrange

Tie the bunched twigs together tightly about 3 inches from the base with a length of raffia. Tie another length of raffia two-thirds of the way up the bunch, leaving the tips of the stems quite frothy and loose. Tie one more length of raffia midway between these two bindings. Trim the twigs straight across at the base so that they can stand upright in the vase.

Arrange three of the lilies in a horizontal row against the side of the twigs and bind the stems to the twigs just below the lily heads with more raffia. This length of raffia should cover the uppermost binding around the twigs.

Turn the bunch of twigs around slightly to the right and arrange another three lilies in a row. The bases of these lily heads should sit just above the central binding point of the twigs. Their stems should also adjoin the first three lily stems so that they all align and conceal the twigs beneath. Attach these lilies with a length of raffia that covers the binding around the twigs.

Turn the bunch of twigs slightly to the right once more and arrange three more lilies in a row so their heads sit just above the lowest binding near the base of the twigs. Ensure that these three lilies adjoin the other lily stems, then bind them with raffia. Trim all the lily stalks straight across so they are the same length as the birch twigs.

Fill the column vase with a little water and add a sterilizing tablet or flower food. Place the bound flowers and twigs inside. The protruding shapes of the lilies should naturally push the arrangement slightly off-center in the vase.