Materials

Flowers and Foliage
3 small pots 'Tête à Tête' daffodil bulbs
moss
2 bunches dogwood stems

If you can't find 'Tête à Tête' daffodil bulbs, you can substitute any other miniature daffodil bulb, or even any bulb in season. Bamboo makes a good alternative to dogwood stems.

Other Materials
rectangular clear glass vase (7 1/2 inches high, 9 1/2 inches long)
cellophane
good-quality, multi-purpose potting soil
florist’s scissors

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

Place the Stems

Line the vase with a large square of cellophane. It doesn’t need to be smooth and crease-free, because it will be completely hidden. Fill two-thirds of the vase with potting soil and press it down firmly. Remove side shoots from the dogwood stems and trim the base of each stem so its end is flat. Push the stems in between the soil-filled cellophane and the side of the vase so that they butt up next to each other in a straight line. The pressure of the soil will hold them in place.

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

Trim the Stems

Check that the dogwood stems are all straight and butt right up against one another. Use a pair of scissors to trim the dogwood stems down to just about the same level as the rim of the vase. Continue to place more stems in a line around the remaining sides of the vase, straighten them and trim each of them down. Give them a final trim them across the top, to create a line that is more-or-less consistent and flush to the rim of the vase. Don’t worry if the trimmed stems look a little uneven when you’ve cut them; they can always be covered with moss at the end.

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