A floral salute to honor the day

WHAT’S NEW

This Memorial Day, florists are dressing up tabletops with rustic yet refined “standing” bouquets in festive palettes. “Here, red poppies, white daisies and blue cornflowers add pretty pops of patriotic color,” says floral pro Teresa Williams. “And wrapping the vase in fresh-picked wheat stalks gives the arrangement a textural, from-the-garden look. It’s a beautiful way to honor the holiday and welcome party guests!”

GET THE LOOK

Fill a 6"-tall vase halfway with water. Cut two handfuls each of poppies, daisies, cornflowers, white chamomile, green lady’s mantle and pink sweet William to 10 inches. Arrange stems in one hand, twirling the bunch as you add flowers in a random fashion; secure with twine. Insert into the vase. Slip a rubber band around the vase and tuck wheat springs and grass snippets under the band until the vase is covered. Tie on decorative string.

INSIDER’S SECRET

Some wildflowers have soft stems that tend to droop. If your bouquet looks faint or isn’t standing up properly, raise the center of gravity by moving the twine up higher on the flower stems. This trick will balance the top-heavy nature of these blooms and push them together to form a tighter, perkier looking bunch. Plus, it simultaneously splays out the stems at the base so the bouquet stays centered.