I asked Jenny Rozman, who owns The Painted Mason Co. on Etsy, and is also a pro at flower arranging, to write an article for the blog about flower arranging as a relaxing hobby.
She was nice enough to agree, so here are some tips and benefits of floral arranging.
Table of Contents
- Is making flower arrangements a good hobby?
- 5 tips for making flowers arrangements
- 1. Pick out your vase before your flowers.
- 2. When picking out flowers, start with your favorite and add more from there.
- 2. When designing, start with the greenery.
- 4. The flowers will flop around when designing in a vase, but it’s ok.
- 5. Don’t forget to feed your flowers
- Bonus Tip: Just like most things, floral design takes practice.
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When choosing a new hobby there are a lot of options out there, everything from knitting and macrame to painting and ornament making.
But one often-forgotten about hobby is flower arranging, and it’s easier than you think.
Is making flower arrangements a good hobby?
Making flower arrangements is a good hobby that is easy to start and doesn’t require a lot of equipment. Some of the other benefits are the documented positive effects of flower arrangements on people who are around them, and the low cost of the tools and materials that are required. Whether using fresh or silk flowers, the cost of making DIY floral arrangements is lower than purchasing them from a florist.
There have been several studies (https://safnow.org/aboutflowers/quick-links/health-benefits-research/) that shown people are more happy, productive and less stressed when flowers are around them. Flowers are often placed in common living areas around the house and instantly have a positive impact on mood every time someone sees them.
It also creates a sense of connection and sometimes intimacy with loved ones. If you make the arrangement yourself, it can also instill a sense of pride, accomplishment, and creativity within yourself.
DIYing flower arrangements (instead of paying a professional florist) can save you some money on flowers, especially on everyday type of arrangements.
When you buy a pro-made arrangement, you are paying for their time instead of just the flowers. This will double (if not triple, in some areas) the price of the finished arrangement.
So why not skip the florist and learn some simple tips to make your own arrangements?
5 tips for making flowers arrangements
1. Pick out your vase before your flowers.
This may seem like a whole chicken or the egg thing, but picking out your vase before your flowers will save you a lot of time and frustration (and maybe even money).
Deciding on the size, shape, and color of your vase or container will help you narrow down the type and color of flowers and even determine how many flowers you will need.
For example, if you have a short mason jar for a vase you will need fewer flowers than if you have a tall, wide mouth vase. The taller vase will also need tall flowers while the mason jar will not.
The vase can also help you decide what color of flowers to get. You can pull colors straight from the vase to establish a color palette for your arrangement.
When in doubt though, pick a clear cylinder-type vase.
It’s the easiest shape of vase to design in, can be used for any occasion, and will go with any type of color scheme.
2. When picking out flowers, start with your favorite and add more from there.
One of the biggest struggles new designers seem to have is figuring out which flowers go together. Much to their chagrin, there are no written rules about which flowers go best together.
Floristry is more art than science, so personal preferences play a larger role than knowing that this flower goes with that flower.
When you go to get the flowers for your design, start with the flowers that you like most out of what is being offered.
It can be your favorite flower, color, or even something new and exciting. Just use whatever draws you the most. Then select other flowers that will help complement and support that favorite flower.
This is where you would match colors and look for different types and shapes of flowers.
You can also select some greenery to add physical support and more interest to the arrangement.
In general, the best designs have a mix of showy/focal flowers, filler flowers and greenery.
The showy flowers are the star of the design, while the filler flowers add more interest and support the showy flowers.
The greenery can add even more interest, and physically holds up the flowers in the arrangement.
2. When designing, start with the greenery.
The greenery is the foundation in your arrangement. It helps build the support and physical structure within the vase to hold up and support the flowers.
By putting the greenery in first, it will help prevent the flowers from flopping around so much, which can be a huge frustration when learning to design.
4. The flowers will flop around when designing in a vase, but it’s ok.
This can be another stressor for some when learning to arrange flowers, but it should be considered part of the process. It can be frustrating when you place a flower in the vase and it just won’t stay put.
Starting with the greenery in the arrangement helps minimize this, but so does adding more flowers.
As you add more flowers to the design, the stems will interlock together more and help keep the flowers in place.
However, readjusting the flowers in the vase as you go is a part of designing.
Maybe you place a flower in the vase and a few flowers later, you decide that it would look better in a different spot.
Being able to move it to the new spot will help improve the design.
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5. Don’t forget to feed your flowers
The easiest way to help your flowers last longer is to add flower food to the water in the vase. Commercial grade flower food, like what is in the little packets of flower food that often come with grocery store flowers, is a mixture of sugar, biocide and acidifier that have been designed specifically to give the flowers what they need when they’re in the vase.
This will help cut down on bacteria, perk up and feed the flowers, which all helps them live longer in the vase.
The real trick with using the flower food properly is to follow the directions on the flower food container to get the proper food to water ratio.
It also helps to measure out the water first (usually 1 pint or 1 quart if using the little packets,) mix in the flower food, and then pour the food/water mix into the vase.
Getting the ratio right is important because too much food will clog the flower stems, and if you add too little food you might as well not use it at all.
Replacing the water in the vase every 2 to 3 days (along with a fresh cut on the stem) will also help you get the longest vase life out of your flowers.
Bonus Tip: Just like most things, floral design takes practice.
Hopefully, these tips helped you get started and take some of the stress out of floral design. It’s important to remember that floral design takes some patience and practice.
The more often you design, the more you will learn about what the flowers, containers, and you are able to do.
Watching and learning from other designers also helps you enhance and hone your design skills.
Plus, the more you design, the more you will be around flowers and that’s a great place to be.
Thanks to Jenny for the tips, and if you’d like to get some more information and help with starting flower arrangements as a hobby, here are some more links to Jenny’s classes and YouTube channel:
Free 8 Step Beginner’s Guide: www.centerpetals.com/guide
Centerpieces Simplified: step-by-step video tutorials to creating pro centerpieces: www.centerpetals.com/simplified
Flower Design for Beginners Community FB Group: www.flowerdesignforbeginners.com Center Petals Youtube: www.centerpetals.com/youtube