Colour class: how to arrange flowers like a florist
3 expert tips to get colour right in your vase
You’ve bought a bevvy of bunches at your local florist or market and are now standing in front of your vase at home. Where do you start?
Brigid Arnott
- Keep it simple. Stick to 3 types or flower maximum for your arrangement, or 3 colours of the same variety
- Remove leaves from stems below the water line to prevent bacteria forming
- Trim stems immediately before placing into vase to ensure stem takes up water straight away
- Start by creating a base with greenery or fuller blooms to support stems and outline the desired shape
- Fill in with smaller groups of flowers, working with odd numbers - 3 or 5 stems of the same variety
- Hold stems up against the vase to gauge where to cut for desired height
- Fill in with feature blooms at varying heights
- Rotate vase to ensure good coverage and colour dispersal
We ask Aleksandra Keast of Aleksandra for some tips on how to arrange flowers with using colour to best effect.
“At Aleksandra, we use flowers to delight, inspire and infuse natural allure. We are co-creating beauty”
Aleksandra Keast
Brigid Arnott
Aleksandra's top tips on using colour:
- It’s important to contrast and complement colours in flower arranging, as it replicates how it grows in nature.
- If you’re not confident in contrasting hues, stick to either a ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ palette
- Layers of tints and tones of one colour, monochromatic/ombré, can be fail-safe and make for a balanced, elegant arrangement
Brigid Arnott
For more tips from the pros, click through to 2 other fabulous florist tips:
Myra Perez, My Violet
Cara Fitch, Trille Floral
