How to make interiors bloom

When your home needs a pick-me-up or you want to give it that festive air that will make it more conducive for a celebration there’s nothing like flowers to bring joy and exuberance to interiors.  Although a quick call to a florist is the most convenient when organizing parties, it can be fun as well as more personal to do your own flower arrangements as long as you take note of some basics:

Choose the right flowers

Save on carbon footprint by going local. You’ll be surprised how much you can get from your garden — from flowers to succulents to foliage. If you have to buy, choose the ones in season. Don’t choose too many kinds of flowers — stick to a maximum of about five kinds per arrangement, with the goal of making one variety the focal point of the assemblage. Also have an idea what type of color scheme you want — you can either go monochrome or contrasting.

Succulents are the star with red cock’s comb fl owers, reeds and ferns in supporting roles.

Prepping is crucial

After you cut or buy flowers, place them in water as soon as possible. Cutting an inch off at a 45-degree angle will help them absorb water better. Strip off any leaves that fall below the water line.

Green berries falling or draping over the rim add asymmetric drama to these arrangements.

Ricky Toledo

Get the right length and height and combinations

A good rule to follow is making your floral arrangement taller than the vase by about one and a half times and make the width balance the height. To make monochrome arrangements more interesting, mix different textures.  For contrasting colors, make sure they harmonize.

Stick to a focal point

To avoid cluttering an arrangement, decide which flowers are the stars and make them the focal point.  The other flowers and leaves can emanate from there, playing supporting roles. Add large, heavy flowers first then fill in with smaller ones, leaving enough space between stems so that individual flowers have breathing room.

Monochrome arrangement from pink to lilac flowers with di erent shades and textures. Larger fl owers are placed fi rst followed by smaller, airier blooms to fi ll in.

Ricky Toledo

Secure the arrangement

Add the flowers and foliage stem by stem, making sure that they are all touching water so that they stay fresh and vibrant for a longer period of time. Alternatively, you can use floral foam soaked in water so that the stems are more secure. For uncooperative flowers and foliage, you can also use floral tape to keep them in place.

Sticking to a maximum of fi ve kinds of fl owers and foliage in monochrome with an accent color makes it interesting without looking cluttered.

Fill in with foliage

 Larger leaves and stems with leaves on them can be used to fill in spaces between flowers to give a fuller look. Some foliage can also extend past the vase or can be draped over the rim to add asymmetric drama.

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