I’m so glad that you’re joining us today for Beginner Blooms! We are starting at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with something simple to get your feet wet – flowering branches. Not only was this designed to start easy, but also flowering branches will be the first to bloom this spring, offering you the ability to use your skills right off the bat.
Let’s dig in!
One of the most important things to consider when arranging any type of floral is the vessel. I learned that the wrong vase can make an otherwise great assortment of flowers look terrible, so make sure you get just a few good vases that will be good for lots of uses. We’ll go through the types I prefer during the series. For flowering branches, you’ll need a vase that is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. This ensures that the branches don’t all stick straight up with no flow or personality, but also don’t droop out at the sides. We’re looking for a nice in-between.
ONE cut off the bottoms of the branches as well as any small twigs or leaves that would fall below the top of the vase, this will result in a cleaner looking arrangement. TWO measure your stems. They should be roughly 1.5 to 2 times the height of the vessel. My white pitcher is too tall to use with these branches, so I’ll opt for the decanter as a vase. THREE arrange in an ‘X’ formation ensuring that a few of the branches criss cross, while one sticks right up from the middle. FOUR fill your vase using a watering can so that you don’t disturb the arrangement.
That’s it! You can see the attention paid to the type of vase, size of vase, and preparing the steps for the vase. All of these things are foundational for helping keep your blooms look clean and polished – but this is just the beginning! Stick with us as we take the next steps through the spring season to get you arranging beautiful bunches in no time!
Have a LOVELY Wednesday!
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Wonderful! This is exactly the kind of beginner tutorial I needed! I can’t wait to try my hand at this soon!
Looking forward to more Beginner Bloom posts
Love this series! I cant wait to learn more tips! I definitely do not have a green thumb, so trying to keep flowers alive is not my strong suit! xox- Ali
Love this series! Keep ‘em comin’!
Must try this for our new dining table!
Love this! You should do the steps of how to plant a little indoor succulent garden… I tried last year and it died rather quickly. Help!
Jordan – I wonder if you watered it too much? Succulents usually take little to no water. I made a terrarium (link here) last summer, but I watered it with a spray bottle only and only once per month!
These are the perfect way to jump start spring! Any tips on where to get branches?
Andrea –
I buy them from Trader Joes, or just cut them from random bushes in friends/families yards
I love this! I’m so excited for this new series. Definitely want to start learning how to do my own beautiful flower creations for my home.
hammerandheels.blogspot.com
I’ve seen a couple ‘DIY blooms’ series on blogs in the last week or so..this one is by far the best! Thanks for the specific and helpful tips.
Tania- Thanks!!! We’re going to slowly work up to more complex arrangements, but I’m happy you find the tips useful. If there is anything else you’d like me to include in these, please don’t hesitate to call it out!!
So simple and so pretty! Thanks for sharing. I need even the most beginning tutorials. Flower arranging seems so daunting!
That is what I’ve been hearing from lots of people, so I’m happy that you’re ok with the level we’re starting from!!
Guess what I’m going to buy at Trader Joe’s later this afternoon.
This post is ah-mazing! You make it so simple, but I had no idea of even the basic rules– like a vase that is wider at the bottom and height of flowers verses height of the vase. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Also..I love the bird lidded (?) bowl. Where is it from?
Love the series, Erin!
Thanks, Kasey!