We are so lucky to live in Perth, where outdoor living is such a big part of our lives.  Getting into nature is a great way to remind you of the wonder of life and refresh your busy mind.  In the winter months it is easy to be put off by the grey skies and the wet weather but something that loves this time of year and the replenishing rain that it brings is your garden!  Bring a little bit of your garden inside your home by creating your own fresh foliage and flower vase arrangement to tide you over until the sun comes out again!Vase arrangement made from the flowers and foliage available in our garden. Includes Amaranthus, Lavender, Jade, Dusty Miller and Hybiscus.

We have taken a wander in our own garden here at A Touch of Class Florist and selected a few items that we think would look lovely together in a vase flower arrangement.  We will take you through our thought process to create a vase flower arrangement and encourage you to get creative and make your own with whatever delights you can find.  Just make sure that if you are tempted to take a cutting from a neighbour’s garden that you ask first! Perhaps you could make a small arrangement for them in return.

Selection of Floristry Tools For Making an Arrangement. Includes: Vase, cutters, scissors, twine and sticky tape.Get Your Tools Together

One of the first things to do is to find yourself a vase.  Although purpose made vases are beautiful it can be anything that is stable enough and holds water.  Be creative!  An old spaghetti jar or an old pickle jar will work.  We enjoy taking a walk around our local Good Sammy’s to see what treasures they may have for us to use.  The style and shape of your vase will help you to design your flower arrangement. For example if you have selected a tall vase then you will need to find at least a few taller items to balance it out.  We often work on a 1/3 vase to 2/3 flowers/foliage ratio but feel free to break the rules.  It is for your home!  You may also need: cutters, scissors, twine and sticky tape, depending on your type of vase.  We have decided to use a mason jar for our vase arrangement today.

Selection of beauties from our garden almost ready to make our arrangement.Time to Wander

Now that you have a vase and tools selected it is time to take a stroll around your garden to see what lovelies you can find.  Larger variety succulents can make a great focal point in an arrangement and they last for a long time.  Roses are always a winner in vases, particularly the scented ones.  Native grasses add texture, height and style to any arrangement.  Lily Pilly foliage is a common variety and makes a great filler for you vase with its deep green leaves and flowing branches.  Native gums are very popular at the moment and always add beautiful colour and scent to a creation.  Foliage from citrus trees can also work well and give a wonderful fresh scent.  Keep an open mind about what will and won’t work you can always change it up later!  Look for complimenting tones in a mix of both blooms (if available) and foliage, if you only have different greenery that can be just as beautiful.  Try to find a focal bloom/foliage that either has a striking colour or shape to help draw the eye to your creation. Here is the beautiful selection that we have found in our garden.

Setting UpCleaning excess foliage from our blooms

Once you have gathered your cuttings lay them out on a bench so that you can see them.  Clean the bottom 2/3 ish of the stems from foliage so that only the stem will sit in the water.  This will help to keep the water clean and thus your flowers lasting longer.  Cut the bottom of each stem with a clean cut at a slight angle if possible.  If your vase has a larger opening you may like to put a sticky tape grid across the top to help hold your foliage and blooms in place as you work.

Creating our garden arrangementGet Creating Your Vase Arrangement

It is often a good idea to begin with placing your foliage, to help create the shape and flow of the piece.  We like the garden feel to our arrangements and love foliage to be tumbling out of our vases.  Once you are happy with the foliage (remember you can always add more as you go) decide what would be a great focal piece to sit toward the front of your design and what should sit further back.  Remember this is for you so be as creative as you like! You don’t need to stick to the rules.  You will find out what works and what doesn’t as you go. It is part of the fun!

Just Be YourselfTying off our posy style arrangement with twine.

Generally speaking the less you mess around with flowers the better things turn out.  Having said that don’t be afraid to start again if you are not happy with what you have made, it can take a few tries to get the hang of how natural pieces work together. If you love it then then others will too! Floristry is such a wonderful and personal way to express your creativity and a time honoured way to calm your soul.  Relax and have fun!

There Are Many Ways!Cutting the stems to size

This is just one example of the many ways to create your own vase arrangement.  Keep an eye on our blog over time as we share more ways to use your garden flowers creatively.  For more daily inspiration take a look at our instagram page!  If we can help create a bespoke flower arrangement for your home or that of a loved one please give us a call we would love to chat to you 08 9256 2415.

 

Placing arranged flowers in our vase.