There is nothing that makes a house looks more loved than a bundle of fresh flowers. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or large, just a few weeds cut from 
the roadside and placed on a table make a loving statement. Place a small vase with a single flower in the bathroom and
you’ve instantly created a new focal point. Put a few sprigs of sweetly smelling flowers on the bedside table in the guest room and your guests immediately feel welcomed.
People tend to think that fresh flowers are only for parties or special occasions. I think that a day without flowers is somehow lacking something.
Here, in Georgia, we’re lucky to have a long flowering season. For me, the picking season begins in February with the first Lenten roses and ends ….well, come to think of it, I’m not sure it ends. Even in winter, I’ll cut sprigs of cedar, spruce and ivy so that we have something living and green inside all the time.
But of course mid to late summer is the height of the cut flower season. During this time of abundance, I can turn the grandkids loose in the garden with a pair of clippers and allow them to cut to their hearts’ content.
Although you can literally spend years perfecting the art of flower arranging (especially if you take up the art of Japanese Flower arranging) anyone can create bouquets for the house that will transform a room.
There are only a couple of rules and if you follow them, you’ll have beautiful, long lasting arrangements.
1. Cut your flowers early in the morning when they are at their fullest and freshest and immediately put them in water.
2. Keep plenty of water in your container during the lifetime of your arrangements. Flower stems tend to soak up a lot of water so you might have to add water to the vase daily.
As for arranging the flowers, be kind to yourself and choose vases that are easy to work with. Little mason jars, though not as elegant as Waterford crystal, make great containers for small arrangements, especially for gifts. Unless you want your arrangement to look like a ball (and you might!) cut the stems different lengths to add a variety of heights.
If you’re not thrilled with your results, try one or more of these these fast and easy tips:
- Use a “filler”, something that takes up space and supports your flowers. Greenery from your garden, such as stems of privet (it needs taking out anyway!) or evergreens such as pines, spruce or cedar are great fillers. Store bought fillers include baby’s breath (the best!) or ferns.
- Try putting a rubber band around the bundle of stems to hold them together. If they flop over, choose a container with a narrower mouth or put fillers around the stems.
- If your colors don’t seem to go together, take the offending flowers out and use them in a different arrangement. The wrong colors together can kill the beauty of a bundle of flowers.
- Place flowers in small vases and group these together to make them look like a larger arrangement.
- Instead of making one large arrangement for a dining room table, place small vases of flowers at each place setting.