Making a floral design is a lot like cooking; you gather ingredients, prepare the elements, and mix them all together into a tasteful blend. A magic alchemy comes from mixing fresh flowers and your style. The act of flower arranging can be soothing, and uplifting.
As Anne Morrow Lindbergh said, “Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day - like writing a poem or saying a prayer.” Gardeners can benefit from having a basic design up their gardening gloves, ready to pull out for Valentine's Day, parties, or for a birthday.
This is an easy designs that requires only one type of flower and no fillers (a florist term for smaller flowers, and/or greens). Practically speaking, the rose arrangement is ideal for a beginner because the flowers are placed right next to each other and the stems are cut the same length.
To make the rose design even more versatile, simply change the container and the color or type of flower. This arrangement works best with large flowers, like carnations, chrysanthemums, or daisies. Another plus is that this arrangement fits in with any style home decor.
Ingredients:
1 -2 blocks oasis (floral foam) for fresh flowers - be careful not to get oasis for silk flowers because it doesn’t absorb water
one dozen roses - for the cheapest roses avoid red ones near Valentine’s Day. Buy pink or white instead. Purchase at grocery stores or Farmer’s Markets for additional savings
1 watertight container, or a plastic container to fit inside your chosen porous container, like a box. The photographs show an 8” inch ceramic, water tight, rectangle purchased at Micheal's for $7.99
optional: corsage pins with pearl heads, ribbon to twirl across the surface if using cheaper flowers like carnations
Directions:
Soak oasis in sink full of water until water is fully absorbed, usually takes at least ten minutes.
Cut the oasis with a bread knife to fit the container. The easiest way to do this is to press container lightly onto the oasis, leaving a grooved impression. Then, cut just inside the groove marks. If your container might not be water-tight, then line it with a slightly smaller plastic container, and place the oasis inside the plastic container. When finished the oasis should be slightly lower than the lip of the container.
Place a rose in each corner of the container, and one in the middle. Then begin filling in the space. You may find it helpful to imagine a grid, like filling in a tick tack toe square lying on top of the container. Try to place the larger or more open flowers in the middle, and the tightly closed flowers around the perimeter. If you end up with gaps, or if a flower looks too large in a particular spot, simply pull it out and reinsert it in a better spot. Keep working until design is packed tightly, and the flowers are in a pleasing mass.
For an optional final step that is sort of like gilding the lily, top each rose with a pearl. Use pearl tipped corsage pin, and insert the pin into the center of each flower.
“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” ~ Audrey Hepburn
This is one of my favorite quotes. Be sure to email me if you did not get your Valentine's newsletter in your inbox. The latest one included this quote as well as a special cupid cocktail to make for your Valentine. I can add you to my list to receive my limited seasonal email newsletter.
