Danya Collyer: In Full Bloom - Building A Table Arrangement

As a flower lover, spring is naturally one of my favorite seasons. And one of the most lovely things about living on the West Coast is the array of flowers so readily available at the local markets and grocery stores. It's a bit dangerous for me actually. Just ask my husband...I'm totally the girl that swoons over the buckets of freshly cut flowers - sometimes he has to drag me away and remind me what we're actually shopping for. Bad, I know.

Anyhow, I worked at a flower shop for a bit in high school and took a few floral arranging classes, and have also worked with a few brides to create their one-of-a-kind bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages. So I admit, my floral knowledge and experience may be greater than that of the average homemaker, but building an arrangement doesn't have to be difficult or intimidating.

So I thought I'd share a few tips for building a simple, but stunning table arrangement.

Choose a vase appropriate for your table.

If your arrangement is for a dining table, try to keep your arrangement low so your guests can see above it.
If for a night stand or bathroom sink, I like to use mason jars.
And for my coffee table, I tend to like short vases with wide openings {I actually use a short drinking glass I found at a thrift store}.
Keep in mind, the wider the opening of your vase, the more buds you will need to fill it.

Pick a flower and stick with that one type of flower. Be sure to buy enough to fill your vase.

I love garden roses, anemones, or peonies to name a few.
Gerber Dasies and Hydrangeas are great at making a statement as well.

Arrange. Run a stream of cold water in your kitchen sink and with sharp scissors or garden shears, cut your flowers at a slight slant to the desired length. Be sure to remove any extra leaves that would be sitting in the water. {These leaves tend to sop up water and breed bacteria, harming your precious blooms.} The blooms that rest on the outside of the arrangement should be slightly shorter than the ones that stand in the middle - arrange the outside blooms first and work your way in.
Voila! You have a beautiful arrangement ready to proudly display.