12 Fast floral art tips

Here are some fast and furious tips that should culminate in some pretty dandy results.

1 Start with the flowers rather than with the vase. Which flowers simply must come into the house? The arrangement can feel forced and stiff if you create around a container.

2 Now pick your container. It doesn’t have to be a vase. Tins, milk bottles, teapots, liquor bottles, mason jars, pitchers, watering cans…

3 Gather flowers that have interesting or contrasting colours, forms and textures.

4 Collect a lot of foliage. It may seem counter intuitive, but greenery gives the arrangement a little somethin’-somethin’. Don’t worry about it being the typical bouquet greenery – grab anything interesting that you see.

5 Don’t stop at greenery. Berries, seedpods, grasses, woody stems, evergreens and houseplant foliage are all interesting and will make the arrangement unique. Greenery and other goodies help give the arrangement shape as well.

6 God created flower frogs for a reason. Collect and use them.

7 Large/tall containers are for tall flowers; small/short containers are for short flowers. You want the flower height to be in proportion to the container size. In general, the flower should not be more than half as tall as the container.

8 Get rid of the leaves on the stem that will sit below the water line.

9 Start the arrangement by placing the tallest flowers (or greenery) first. Arrange the materials that come next in line and so on.

10 Remove stamens from flowers that have pollen on them. Pollen is not only messy but can also stain. Don’t place strong-scented flowers at the dinner table.

11 If you angle the stems as you place them into the vase, you can create a natural “grid” that will support the entire arrangement.

12 Finally, stand back and check your arrangement from every angle. You’re looking for uniformity and repeating patterns.