Holiday floral arrangements

Floral arrangements often take center stage by the front door, foyer, or table top during the holiday season, welcoming friends and family. While it may seem daunting to create your own, with a few tools and some creativity it is both easy and fun.

Start by asking yourself three basic questions: 

1. Do you want an arrangement for a planter by the front door, a foyer, or the dining room table?  
2. What do you want the arrangement to look like? 

For inspiration, review photos online, in magazines, or books.

1. What about size and shape? Do you want to make a small, tight shape, a towering tall display in a vase, or a wide arrangement in a favorite container? 

An arrangement on a table against a wall, will be viewed only from the sides and front, design it with a flat back. For a dinner table centerpiece, you want to be able to see your guests, so consider the height and width; this arrangement will be viewed from all sides.

Gather the following supplies: 

• Select the container. Be sure it can hold water; to keep the floral foam moist so the arrangement lasts longer. If the container does not hold water, insert a plastic liner.

• *Wet floral foam; it holds stems in place and supplies water to fresh flowers and greens. 
• *Floral tape to secure the foam in the container.
• *Floral preservative to add to the water.
• Knife to cut floral stems.
• Pruners to cut the heavier stems of evergreens.
• Two buckets, one to soak the plant material, one to soak the wet floral foam.

*These are all available online or at craft stores.

Prep the Day Before:

1. Soak the wet floral foam in a bucket of water. Allow the foam to absorb the water on its own. Don’t weigh it down; it needs to be thoroughly wet before you begin arranging.
2. Gather your plant material and decorative accents. In your garden, look for evergreens with different textures, shapes, and colors. Dried flowers (such as hydrangea or allium), seed pods, pinecones, and dried grasses work for a natural look. Check out the grocery store or florist shop for fresh flowers. You can also add holiday ribbons, bows, berries, or ornaments to your arrangement.
3. Prep the live plant material, cut off the leaves that will be submerged in the water, making a 45-degree angle cut at the bottom of each stem. Soak overnight in the second bucket with warm water and floral preservatives.

The next day, get ready for the creative part! 

Cut a piece of soaked foam to fit your container. Allow the foam to sit one inch above the edge of the container, so that you can place stems coming out of the sides. 

Secure it to the container with floral tape. Don’t use too much or you’ll limit space for inserting the stems. Fill the container with water containing floral preservatives.

Composing your arrangement:

1. Begin with a base layer of green plant material.  Hold the stem up to the container, judging where you want that green to be in the arrangement. Getting your placement right the first time is important so you avoid having to move it and leaving holes in the foam, thereby limiting how many stems it will hold. 

If it is too long, cut off any excess (at a 45-degree angle) before inserting it into the foam. Make sure the cut tip of all the plant material is in contact with the wet foam so that it can absorb water. 

Continue placing stems all around the container. The first layer should sit close to the lip of the container. 

1. Add height and width. Insert your tallest item (such as a thin branch or dried grass) and the widest stems (such as juniper branches) to define the shape.
2. Add more greens to fill in around them. Repeat shapes, colors, and lines to create a visual path the eye follows through the entire arrangement. 
3. Place your focal point—the unique item or flower in your arrangement that attracts attention, because of its color, size, or shape. It is usually placed low and near the center of the arrangement. The focal point anchors the arrangement.
4. Add accents. Use flowers, ribbons, pine cones, berries, or other ornaments and greens to balance your design. 

Step back and review your arrangement after each step, making adjustments as needed. 

Once the arrangement is to your liking, place it in a cool place and check the level of the water frequently. Do not allow the foam to dry. With a little care, the arrangement should last a few weeks.

Creating holiday floral arrangements is a fun project for hosting a group of friends or family and sharing the plant material everyone brings from their garden. Be sure to take photos!

Happy Holidays!