Horticulture vulture

Intimidated by flower arranging? Don’t be. Follow these nine tips and you’ll be the envy of your Instagram followers

OPTIMISE YOUR RECEPTACLE

A vase with a narrow opening will help your blooms hold together (great if you’ve only got a few flowers), while a vase with a wide opening will spread them out more.

CHOP STICKS An asymmetrical look is popular. Cut stalks to differing lengths to create a hand-picked look.

REFLEX YOUR ROSES Reflexing is a florist’s trick for making roses look more romantic – and take up more space in an arrangement. It works best on roses that are a couple of days old, and have softer petals. To do it, remove the greenery beneath the outer petals. Take hold of an outer petal between thumb and forefinger and gently fold it backwards. Continue doing this with the outer petals, until you have a full, voluminous-looking bloom. Blow into the centre of the flower to make the inner petals open a little more. Voilà!

MIX GENRES Add dried flowers, succulents, an artichoke or pomegranate, or a stem of orchids, for an unexpected twist.

USE UNEVEN NUMBERS Four or six flowers in a vase look odd, but five, or seven looks deliberate.

GO MONOCHROME Stick to just one or two colours for a classy look. Or, if you’re feeling brave, use the whole rainbow, but stick to all bright colours, or all pastels.

GO GREEN Got access to a gum tree? Use the foliage to bulk up a sparse arrangement.

GET LOW Planning to decorate your dining table with flowers? You’re probably going to want to see your guests. Don’t be afraid to snip long-stemmed flowers shorter and arrange them in a tumbler, jar or low vase. A low arrangement with some foliage trailing out laterally can be equally striking.

MAKE THEM LAST

Trim stalks at a 45-degree angle. The angled ends will prevent the bottoms from sitting flush on the bottom of the vase and blocking absorption. Flowers with shorter stems last longer as the water has less distance to travel to the bloom. Remove any leaves that will be below the water line, as they will rot and create smelly water.