A flower bouquet can be made using fresh, dried or silk flowers. Depending on the occasion, it can be festive, soothing, romantic, seasonal or whatever mood you want to convey. Your bouquet can be monochromatic or multicolored, formal or informal. Whatever the style and type of flower you use, there are basic items that you will need to create your arrangement.

Container

You will need a container to hold your bouquet. Choose from a glass or ceramic vase, a shallow pan, a pail, jug, bottle, basket or other vessel. Use your imagination based on the theme or feeling you want the arrangement to evoke.

Supporting Structure

If you are using fresh-cut flowers, you can either put them in a vase filled with plain water, or you can first insert a foam block, chicken-wire ball, floral frog, or make a tape grid across the top of the container and then insert each stem individually into the support structure.

Flowers

Gather fresh or silk flowers. Choose a color scheme, and use varying sizes and shapes of flowers for interest, or use one type and size of flower for a more unified, formal design (like in an arrangement of a dozen roses).

Fillers

Greens like ferns, ivy vines and salal are attractive additions to an arrangement of flowers and help to visually separate the different blooms as well as add support to them. These are optional, as sometimes a solid arrangement of flowers is all that is needed, especially if used in a wedding bouquet or corsage.

Decorations

To complete the bouquet, tie a length of ribbon around the vase and make a pretty bow, or dress it up with a pre-made bow. You may also add decorative accents like papier-mache fruits, birds or figurines.

Tools

You will need some or all of the following tools to make your bouquet: scissors or pruning shears, a sharp knife, a hammer (for tenderizing woody ends), floral tape, stem wires, hot glue gun and a watering pot.

Source:

"Arranging Flowers;" Martha Stewart; 1999

Better Homes & Gardens