Flower Arrangement Guide

While walking through the woods, you may marvel at the wildflowers, but bringing home cut wildflowers from your walk in the woods may be impractical. A florist can use all the necessary skills and materials to create an arrangement of wild flowers that help bring nature indoors.

It is true that flowers in a florist’s shop aren’t really cut from the wild, but they do give that impression. A wild flower design usually comprises delicate small and fragile blossoms such as alstroemeria, freesia, yarrow, or crocosmia, enhanced by the slender stems of the scabiosa or lisianthus. Filler flowers such as Queen Anne’s lace, Monte Casino asters, or Misty Blue limonium give depth and texture while asparagus ferns and bear grass add an ethereal touch. You can make a wildflower arrangement in either a vase or basket.

Cut the stems on a diagonal with a knife and under water, prior to placing them. Singe the stem ends of the poppies so that they don’t lose sap and infect the water in the vase. To arrange the flowers, make a tall arrangement about 1.5 times the height of your vase. Begin with the tallest flowers—hydrangeas—and then add sunflowers. Keep the pot or vase loose but finely balanced.

Put the stems in place, letting the flowers fall naturally. Continue to add hydrangea till the arrangement takes shape. Now, intersperse the arrangement with wild flowers and poppies, singing their stem ends. Create a loose but nice shape with small filler flowers.

Comforting a grieving family is never an easy task and people often feel quite helpless at being unable to do the right thing. Fortunately, flowers are a good way to condole one’s loss and are sent to the funeral home for display during the viewing and service.

In the first couple of decades of the last century, funeral flower arrangements were usually large, sweet-smelling badges shaped as hearts, crosses and logos of organizations. For example, a Rotarian would take along a wreath in the form of a broken wheel to a fellow Rotarian’s funeral. From 1970, this practice gave way to customized funeral flower arrangements that depict the deceased’s profession, such as anchors for seamen.

The various kinds of funeral flower arrangements include the wreath, which is a circular floral arrangement of flowers and greens; people believe that its shape symbolizes eternal life. The floral stand is another type of arrangement. It is visible only from one side and is placed on a stand and can be ordered in a choice of up to three tiers. A cross-shaped arrangement symbolizes the deceased’s faith in Christianity. The family of the deceased usually orders an arrangement called a casket spray for the top of the casket. If a child dies, floral arrangements in the shapes of angels, bunnies, bears, or other objects are done in white with leafy trimming.

Once the funeral service is over and the grieving family begins to cope with their loss, it is completely in order for you to comfort them with flowers or a plant that shows that they can count on you for support.

Traditionally, white flowers are used. Chrysanthemums, roses in red, white, yellow and pink, white lilies and carnations are the flowers of choice.