Kathy Barnett - Flower Arranging for Beginners

. Tips on Keeping Cut Flowers Fresh

A.) Purchasing Flowers or using Ones from Your Yard

B.) Warm Water Helps to Open Tight Blooms (flower heads)

C.) Cut the Lower Leaves From their Stems

D.) Cut the End of the Stems at a Point

E.) What to Put in the Water to Keep it Clean

2. Flowers that Droop or Move Out of Place or Droop

A.) Bundle the Stems

B.) Flower Frog

C). Make a Flower Grid

D.)Avoid Direct Sunlight

E.) Keep Water in the Vase to Prevent Drooping

F. Insert Wire into the Flower Stem

3. Glass Containers

A.) Single Flower Designs in Vases

B.) Pebbles, Sea Shells and Other Ideas

C.) Flower Blossoms Inside Clear Glass Containers

4. Decorating with Tinted Glass Vases and Jars

A.) No Tinted Glass; Make Your Clear Containers Colorful

5. Choosing Your Color Scheme

A.) Understanding Color-the Color Wheel

6. Stages of Flower Blooms

7. Colors and Grouping in Arrangements

8. Make Your Own Beautiful Flower Centerpieces

A.) From Foam to Completion-Step-by-Step Instructions

9. Artificial Floral Arrangements Centerpieces

T here are so many beautiful ways to decorate your home with flowers. All it takes is imagination, focus and the understanding of color, along with step-by-step instructions. Through visual photos, common sense information and tips, you too can become a wonderful decorator of flowers.

Wow your family, friends and yourself with flower arrangement accomplishments that beautify your home everyday. Not only that, holiday arrangements and centerpieces will be easier to design than you ever thought. Why? Because you will understand how colors work together. After designing a few the process will become easier.

Years of decorating retail stores and their window fronts allowed me to learn how to design, especially with color. I enjoy being creative and enjoy sharing. Whether I am producing artwork for my children' books, writing my newest gardening or flower arrangement books, my compassion for all of these remains strong.

If you have any questions about any of my publications please email me at .

Enjoy!

M aking beautiful arrangements is fun and gives you a tremendous feeling of contentment. After your flower design is completed, days of brightness and pleasure will feed your spirit. Insure that that they last as long as possible. These tips will help to keep your cut flowers vibrant and pretty.

A.) Purchasing Flowers or using Ones from Your Yard

Deciding on which flowers to buy or cut from your garden is fun. Choosing the freshest ones will provide you with a beautiful arrangement for quite sometime. Understanding the signs of old flowers will help accomplish this.

W hen buying flowers they are quickly admired, picked up and purchased. It only takes a minute to look closer.

These flowers are not fresh.

T hese signs tell you it has been a while since they were picked or during shipment they were not kept in conditions to keep them fresh.

If flowers have been purchased, cut the end of the stems off as soon as you get home. No more than an inch will work. Place in water until time to make the arrangement.

When cutting fresh flowers from your yard, the best time is in the morning. They have had an overnight rest from the heat and sun. Morning dew has further made them look refreshed. In other words, the flowers are less stressed and at their are prettiest.

Not an early morning person, than cut them after a cool rain. The clouds have enabled the harsh sun from heating the petals. The water hydrates and refreshes them.

B .) Placing Flowers in Warm Water Helps to Open Tight Blooms (flower heads)

If the flowers' blooms are tightly closed, such as roses and their relatives, place them in warm water for one to two days before making the arrangement. This will help them to fully open.

C.) Cut the Lower Leaves From their Stems

When it is time to make your beautiful arrangement, cut off the lower leaves from the part of the stem that will be submerged in water. This helps to keep them healthy for as long as possible because of lower levels of bacteria in the water. Discard the cut leaves.

D .) Cut the End of the Stems at a Point

Even if the flower stems were cut off at the end and placed in a container after purchase, they need to be cut again right before making the arrangement. This helps the stem absorb water more easily. Do so at an angle to achieve a point. It does not have to be exact or perfect.

E.) What to Put in the Water to Keep it Clean

Cut Flowers can last a week or longer before they need tossing. It is recommended that the water be changed daily to keep it clean and clear. For most, doing this is not possible with busy schedules. Actually, dumping out the old water and pouring new water is a very forgetful task. Without changing the water daily, how does one keep it clean?

People swear that putting an aspirin, sugar or even a penny in the vase will help keep the bacteria down and the water clean. I have tried them with not very good results.

Many times, when flowers are purchased they come with a packet to place into the water to help preserve them. It is usually called flower food. This is what I recommend using.

If there is no preservation packet included or the flowers were picked out of the yard, it can be purchased separately. However, one-fourth teaspoon of bleach in a quart of water works well. Mix it thoroughly, pour in the vase and add flowers.

B elow are options to keep your flowers from dropping and or keeping them in place.

A.) Bundle the Stems

A .) Use a Flower Frog

A flower frog sits inside your vase. It is constructed from metal or plastic and holds the flowers in place. Usually though, I do not have a big enough problem to use one.

C.) Make a Flower Grid

An easy and inexpensive way to hold short stemmed or large flower heads upright is to construct a grid on the top of the container. Stick short stemmed flowers in the openings.

Use a container that is smooth on the outside. It can be round or square. Take strips of cellophane tape and place on the top of the container. Attach each end to opposite sides. Make as many strips as necessary, about a half inch apart.

Once there is no more room to use anymore strips turn the container around to the other side. Do the same thing. The tape will overlap in certain spots, leaving non-taped spaces in other areas. It should look similar to the one below.