Creating Spring Flower Arrangements
Most of us in the PNW are desperate for sun by the time Spring rolls around. I imagine it’s much the same throughout the rest of the country. Anyway, like many, I can hardly wait to bring out those bright pretty colors for Spring. Of course, this includes flowers. Naturally, these are faux flowers because many of those full sun flowers such as roses and peonies aren’t ready till summer. Having these sunny, pastel arrangements throughout the house is a great way to celebrate Spring. Additionally, they work right into the decor when Easter arrives. The last couple of weeks I have been working on several Spring flower arrangements for our home and today I want to talk about these Spring flower arrangements as well as give you some ideas for your own Spring decor.
In the spirit of honesty faux flower arrangements weren’t something I was big on for years. However, a large part of that was finding a source of flowers that I was happy with. The quality of blooms absolutely makes a difference in the result. Pier 1 ended up becoming my go-to source for faux flowers because they have such a large and gorgeous variety. This year, I scooped up some lovely choices such as pink peonies, chartreuse hydrangeas, white cone hydrangeas, thistles, tulips, and eucalyptus. My closet is stuffed with beautiful blooms! So why not just put a few in a vase and call it a day? Well, I could do that and sometimes do, but a successful arrangement calls for a little more thought. So before making any creation I take some time to go over the process ahead of time with the following things in mind:
When I create a Spring flower arrangement there are a few things I think about:
What is the purpose of this arrangement? This question will define theme and narrow down the vision. For example, an arrangement for Easter generally calls for lighter colors, different core flowers, not to mention different fillers. Whereas I might lean towards pastels, tulips, peonies, garden sage and eucalyptus for Easter arrangements at Christmas the poinsettias, holly, and fir would come out. If it’s for decor than do I want it to be a focal point or blend in with the background? Do I want to make a statement with it or simply fill in a spot and/or enhance the area? Knowing what your purpose is helps a lot when creating arrangements.
What style of arrangement is best? This matters because a good arrangement has a balancing effect in a room. For example, if the arrangement is for the table of a dinner party a huge bouquet that keeps your guests from seeing each other is hardly appropriate and looks awkward. Or a huge buffet table sporting a tiny bud vase with a single flower looks rather silly and empty. Would a complex arrangement work or is a simple one better? Exotic flowers or garden-style? Additionally, it is important to consider the colors of the setting to avoid the clash. And speaking of color…
What colors should I use? Once the other questions have been settled, I move on to this. For Easter this year I am using pink and green color combo, so that narrows down the color choices quite a bit- pink peonies and eucalyptus it is! However, maybe the arrangement is for decor’s sake and you have a neutral space to work with. My favorite sources for color help are Design Seeds and the Canva color wheel. Design seeds has thousands of gorgeous palettes ideas inspired by nature. I pick one and work with it. Or I fall back on basic color theory: monochromatic, complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic. Canva has a large color wheel to use as well as a color calculator to help out- super easy!
Some of the Spring flower arrangements I created:
Here is an arrangement in an apothecary jar using pink peonies and seeded eucalyptus sprays. Peonies are such a lovely statement flower that I chose to use only peonies and compliment them with light green seeded eucalyptus sprays. The result is simple to put together, but beautiful.
For this arrangement I worked in “3s”. The core white peonies are a group of three as well as the cone hydrangeas and garden sage. Each were dispersed in the bouquet in a triangular pattern with each “triangle” set at a different point. The “vase” is a large watering can replica that sits on the floor. Isn’t it pretty sitting in the morning sun?
Baskets of flowers are always so charming! For this arrangement I put in several types of flowers in a large basket but kept them together in groups. Complementary colors light green and lilac were the choices for this bouquet. Complementary colors are those that are across from each other on the color wheel.
Here is an example of an arrangement that takes just a few different items and uses a small birdcage as a vase.
For an ultra simple and elegant, clean look these white tulips stand alone in a tall cylinder vase. Easy and striking!
This sweet little thing is simple 3 roses in a small, square vase- simple and sweet!
Tips for putting bouquets together
Think balance. Eyeball your arrangement. It doesn’t need to be symmetrical, but is it balanced? Are big and small items distributed throughout the arrangement in an eye-pleasing way? Are there areas that feel awkward or not right? Play around with your bouquet until it feels right.
Fillers are optional. Sometimes I use them. Sometimes I don’t. When I create the look, I see how I feel about it and go from there.
Break up your flowers. If your blooms or fillers come in a group it is often useful to clip them from the main stem. This makes them much easier to work with- much!
Strip lower leaves. This is something I do with real flowers as well- eliminate unnecessary bulk down below by stripping lower leaves. These can usually be removed easily from your faux. This prevents bulking and if you are using a clear vase it will look more attractive than a bunch of leaves crammed together.
Vases don’t have to be fancy. The type of holder you use depends on the statement you are trying to make. Use that as your guide.
Enjoy your Spring flower arrangements!
Note: No monies received from affiliates. All opinions are my own.
