Floral design is a chance to be creative. Evergreens, dried flowers, seed heads, grasses, branches, herbs, and dried fruit can add texture, color, fragrance, and personality to an arrangement. Look at the materials around you with fresh eyes. As you design, use rhythm to guide the eye through the arrangement. Repeat colors, flowers, shapes, or lines to create movement and unity. Grasses and tall flowers such as liatris, larkspur and penstemon can create strong lines. Vary bloom sizes and placement rather than spacing flowers evenly.
A beautiful floral arrangement should feel visually balanced. Symmetrical designs use similar flowers and shapes on both sides for a formal, traditional appearance. To create a symmetrical design, establish a central vertical axis, but be careful not to have completely mirrored symmetry, as this can feel unnatural. If you don’t dig symmetry, you can try an asymmetrical design. Asymmetrical designs are a dynamic, off-center style that achieves visual equilibrium through unequal visual weight rather than identical sides. To create asymmetrical designs, establish lines with spikes or greenery to form a scalene triangle.
In floral design, proportion describes the size relationship between elements in the arrangement, like the flowers, foliage, and container, while scale measures the entire arrangement against external settings. As a general guide, the finished design should be about one-and-a-half to two times the height or width of the container. Consider the size of the room and display area as well.
Sometimes flower arrangements and bouquets can look busy instead of intentional. Let the color wheel guide you. Color does more than decorate a floral arrangement. It creates a mood. Warm colors, including red, orange, and yellow, can feel cheerful and energetic, while cool blues, greens, and violets often feel peaceful and calming. Create a smooth, harmonious arrangement by using analogous colors or colors located beside one another on the color wheel; Or create contrast by using complementary colors, which are those opposite one another, such as yellow and violet.
Keep your flower arrangements longer with food. You can make a simple flower food for cut arrangements at home with ingredients from the kitchen. Mix 1 quart of warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice, and 3 drops of household bleach. Sugar provides energy, the citrus helps improve water uptake and lower pH, and the bleach slows bacterial growth. Start with a clean vase and trim about an inch from each stem at an angle. Remove any leaves below the waterline. Replace the water and make a fresh batch every two to three days for longer-lasting blooms.
By Kirstee Schutte, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Volunteer
