10 Top-Notch Flower Arranging Tips

Dying to make your flower arrangements look like the pros? Follow these floral-styling tips to create original and thriving arrangements all season long.

By: Brian Patrick Flynn

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From using pins to secure moss to mixing fruit with flowers, try out these simple tips to create beautiful and lively floral arrangements for your seasonal tablescapes.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Cut Stems at an Angle

Cutting stems at an angle will help the flowers soak up water properly from the vessel.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Strip Away Leaves

While leaves can enhance the intended look of a floral arrangement, they also collect bacteria that can be damaging to the stem and surrounding flowers. When creating an arrangement, strip away leaves to ensure more longevity for the flowers.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Pollen

Many beautiful flowers contain pollen in their stamens which can easily stain fabrics or furniture. Before completing your arrangement, be sure to remove any stainable pollen from the leaves. This is especially common in stargazer lilies which produce a deep rusty red pollen which will quickly damage textiles.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Straight Wire Support

When working with top-heavy flowers, there's a good chance they'll topple over in an arrangement. To keep flowers upright, support their heads with straight wire wrapped around the stems, then secure them along the bottom of the flower's head.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Metal Greening Pins

Sometimes loose, organic materials, such as moss, can add gorgeous color and texture to an arrangement; however, it's not that easy to make these materials sit securely. The trick to keeping moss pieced together randomly is to secure the moss to floral foam with metal greening pins.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Wooden Picks for Fruit

Looking to mix fruit with floral? There's more to creating this look than you might think. In order for fruit to fit securely in an arrangement, you'll need to cut wooden picks to size, insert one end into the fruit and the other into the foam.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Vase in a Vase

Professional florists have been using sliced fruit wheels to decorate clear vases. To create this look, you'll need two square or rectangular vessels slightly varying in width and height. Place the smaller vase inside of the larger one, then fill the space between them with sliced fruit wheels. Once in place, use the inner vase for your main floral.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Soaking Foam

When creating an arrangement that will sit out for more than a day, add a block of floral foam to your vase. Before doing this, soak the foam under running water in the sink, then place it in the vase. Soaking as much water as possible will help support thirsty stems.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Grid It

Ever wonder how florists make single-stemmed roses sit so perfectly together? It's the result of creating a grid with floral tape. Unfurl a spool of floral tape, then create a grid by securing tape on each side of the vessel. With each of the small squares of the grid measuring approximately 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch, insert each single-stem flower for a perfectly unified look.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Unexpected Vases

Anytime you're working with commonplace flowers, such as daisies or carnations, be creative with your vases to add personality and make them unique. A cost-effective option is repurposing a tin can, which simply requires a thorough washing before adding any floral and water.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn