AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
FEBRUARY 01, 2012
23
Arrangea
Valentine’sBouquet
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Receiving a bouquet wrapped prettily on Valentine’s Daymakes people bloom— just like trying
to arrange it in a vasewithout botching it all upmakes peoplewilt. Why? Because it’s never as
quick ’n’ easyasMarthaStewart’sguestsmake it look, and that stressesusout.However,witha few
simple, delicate steps and these tips from Society of American Florists floral-design expert Carol
Caggiano, aperfect arrangement is just abloomaway.
HOW TO
>
Choose theperfectvase—or,
betteryet, several.
Insteadof stuffing thewhole
bouquet intoone receptacle,why
not spread the love? “If I get adozen
roses, I often start bydividing them
up,” saysCaggiano,who suggests
usinga collectionof smaller vases
(or even improvisedones— “beer
or sodabottles canbeahoot”) to
enjoy the flowers in several placesor
as a creative tabletopassemblage.
Movearound the rim—
likeclockwork—and toward
thecenter.
Start around theedgewith the
sturdier, principal flowers,working
two stemsoppositeeachother. One
at noon, interlockedwithanother at
6o’clock. Do the samewith3and9
o’clock. “Nowyou’vedividedyour
arrangement into fourmanageable
sections,”Caggiano says. Add
themoredelicate-stemmed flowers
like tulips, freesiaor daisieswhile
working inwardand toward
themiddleof thevase, creating
anevendistributionof color and
flower shapes.
Carefullyprep—and remove
“bull’s-eyes.”
Arranging flowersmonochromati-
cally (onecolor)ormonobotanically
(one flower type) isalwaysa safe
bet, notesCaggiano. Butwith
mixedbouquets, startby setting
asideanybull’s-eyes— i.e., that
mandatory single red rose sitting
self-consciously in themix— for a
bedsidebudvase. Cut stembottoms
at anangleusinga sharpknifeor
scissors toprevent crimping the
stem,whichcanpreventwater flow
to the flower. Clipany leaves thatwill
otherwisedecompose invasewater.
Go tight—or loose.
Two trends in flower arrangingarea
tighter, compact lookor a looseand
airyone that showsoffmore stem.
The formerworkswellwith rounder,
denser flowers (roses, hydrangeas)
and the latterwithmoreopen
flowers (snapdragons, larkspurs,
lilies), saysCaggiano. But you’re the
artist. “Therearenohardand fast
rules—except tohave funwith it.”
“Lace”yourbase.
Line theedgesof thevasewith
greenery filler toprovidea
foundation. “Doing some initial
‘lacing’ or ‘webwork’with this
material helps the flowers stay
whereyouwant them to,”
Caggiano says.
Feed—and find the
perfect spot.
“Don’t beamad scientist by
addingaspirinor 7-Up to the
water,”Caggianoadds. The
packet of commercial floral food
withpreservativeyouget at the
floristworksbest. Set your flower
arrangementwhere itwill last—
sunnywindowsills and radiators
shorten the lifeof the flowers—
and canbeenjoyed to the fullest
byeveryone.
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