Common Everyday Flower Arranging Mistakes
Recently I have come across so many images on Instagram from interiors accounts, with flowers seriously shoved into vases. The neck of the vase is choked with the stems and as a result the flowers or leaves are all kind of just pointing upwards, with no room to move at all. Is this some kind of new (bad) trend? I’ve seen so many examples of this recently that I’m starting to wonder - and because it grinds my gears, I felt compelled to write a post on the topic.
So, whilst I may not be a florist, I am an interior stylist - and I use flowers in a styling sense at home, so I’m coming at my advice from this point of view. Because I’m not a florist, I don’t arrange flowers. I buy them and put them in vases - like most unskilled florists do. So for some tips from a non-florist who just happens to have a bee in their bonnet, here are some common mistakes that I see often.
Common Mistakes
Not stripping the stems before placing them in the vase
This is a super common error. Even when the amount of flowers in the vase is OK (i.e. the vase hasn’t been filled within an inch of it’s life), it kind of looks like it has been, because so much of the greenery on the stems has been left. Those poor leaves look thoroughly miserable.
Height of the flowers is wrong
When cutting your flowers go slow. Little by little. Otherwise you end up with flowers that just look too short for the vase. That being said, in this image, if the stems had been stripped of their greenery then the actual flowers would have a bit more room to move and then possibly, they wouldn’t look so short.
Too much in a narrow neck vase
When you put too many flower or greenery stems in a narrow necked vase or vessel, the florals have no where to go but up. Which looks strange. Especially when the greenery has no bend (like the olive above). When that’s the case, you need a wide neck vase so the greenery can lean and give the illusion of shape.
The flowers and the vase don’t go together
This is kind of the same as image one - the greenery hasn’t been stripped from the stems and there are too many flowers shoved into the vase.
On top of that, the flowers themselves are quite pretty and delicate and the vase feels like it could use something with a bit more oomph. This is a case of the vase not really suiting the flowers.
Taking an arrangement and just putting it in a vase and saying ‘voila’
If someone gifts you a bouquet of flowers, then for goodness sake, take those lovely flowers and separate them out. Put some in little glass jars or delicate vases, put others in a larger vase. Spread them out. Just because they came to you together in a bunch doesn’t mean they need to stay like that.
Getting it Right
The beauty of shape
Letting your blooms drape and fall gives the whole arrangement shape that is interesting and beautiful to look at. It pays respect to the natural curve of the flowers by giving them space.
When contrast works
I know I just said that in the above example the vase was wrong for the flowers…well here I am telling you the reverse. This arrangement works precisely because the rustic heaviness of the vessel works in contrast with the delicate branches and blooms. It’s the classic mix of masculine + feminine, which is a styling tool used in both interiors and fashion. And it always works. The trick is to lean into this idea of masculine and feminine properly. Don’t be half hearted otherwise it won’t work.
This is a gorgeous example of the vase and floral / greenery arrangement mirroring one another and creating a sense of unison. The smokey glass vase that is low and squat with a subtly rounded shape works beautifully with the plum tones of the gum nut and replicates the gum nut shape.
Mirror the shape of your vase with your flowers
If you prefer harmony over contrast, choose a vase that complements the shape or tone of your flowers. When the vessel echoes the natural lines or hues of your blooms, the result is a soothing, cohesive arrangement that feels effortlessly elegant.
When all else fails, a single stem will always look good
By far the easiest way to style flowers is to keep it simple. A single bloom or just a couple in a vase is sometimes all that is needed. Obviously this works when you just want a small little floral moment. Look for a flower with some impact like a hydrangea.