how to create a flower arrangement

Hand-tied arrangements are what you imagine when you think of a bouquet of flowers. Creating hand-tied arrangements is a much- needed skill for making wedding bouquets and posies but this skill can be utilised in daily life, too. Flowers often sit better in a vase when arranged in your hands first.

There are two main methods for creating a hand-tied bouquet: spiralling and creating a base. Spiralling is the method most used by florists to create professional bouquets, as stems can easily be slid in and out and construction is very neat and clean. Creating a base is a quick method that suits certain types of flowers, minimal elements and works well for vases.SPIRALLING
Australian flowers can be quite heavy to hold together so make sure all stems are properly conditioned and any excess foliage is removed.

To create the perfect spiralled posy, start with two stems. These stems will form the middle of your bouquet so choose two that have a nice shape. Cross the stems in the shape of an ‘X’ and hold at the point of crossing – this is going to become your junction point, or tie point. This is the place the bouquet wilL be held if it is for a wedding, or where it sits in the neck of your vase. To start spiralling, just add another stem to the cross, at the top of the junction point. Keep this new stem on a similar 45-degree angle to the original X so the stems don’t just sit vertically. Turn your arrangement whichever way feels comfortable for you, left or right, add another stem on an angle then turn in the same direction. Keep adding stems above the junction point and turning in that same direction and you will see your bouquet begin to form. The top of the bouquet will begin to fill evenly all around and the stems will look like they are spiralling around each other, which is where the arrangement gets its name.

Keep your grip on the bouquet junction point firm but not so tight that the flowers are being choked. You can reposition flowers to whichever height looks best by sliding their stems up or down. You can also remove or relocate stems by sliding them up and out of the arrangement and then choosing a new spot and sliding them back into position, making sure they feed through the junction point. Once your arrangement reaches your desired size just tie it off above your hand by wrapping jute twine around the bouquet twice and then tying a knot. The twine should be tight enough to hold everything in place but not so tight that stems are cut into. Cut off any tails of the twine so they don’t dangle into the water. Once you’re all finished cut the stems straight across the bottom at the required length and make sure you don’t have any leaves below the junction point.Spiralling can be used for arranging a single type of flowers or a mixed arrangement.

If you’re making a very large bouquet using heavy flowers you can tie off your bouquet halfway through to rest your arms and give the stems some extra support. You can also rest the junction point of the bouquet against your workbench for extra support.

Looking at your bouquet in the mirror can help you get an idea of any spots you’ve missed or flowers that need repositioning.

If in doubt watch lots of online videos – just search for things like ‘spiralling flower arrangement’ or ‘spiralled flower technique’ or ‘hand-tied flower arrangement’. Everyone does it slightly differently and people often spiral in different directions but it’s a very simple technique. The key is to practise. One way to build your spiralling skills is to make a bouquet and then pull it apart and start again. See if you can recreate the previous bouquet, or try different flower placements to give you a totally different look.

Once you gain enough experience you stop thinking about placement and you’ll find the flowers start to tell your hand where they want to go.

CREATING A BASE
This method involves using one type of flower to create a base for the others, just as the name suggests. Gather some stems of foliage or a fluffy textural bloom into your desired loose bouquet shape, crossing the stems to help get some extra width and shape. These stems will form the base of your arrangement. Keep a hold on your junction point, as described above. Then feed your focal flower stems from the top, down through the base you’ve just created. Next, add any special soft delicate stems and sculptural elements. Tie off your arrangement above your hand once you’re finished and then trim stems to your preferred length.

This method is mostly used for creating a mixed arrangement very quickly. It is best for arrangements that will end up in a vase and can be a bit imperfect rather than arrangements you would hold like a wedding bouquet.ARRANGING IN VASES
You can arrange your florals in your hand and then pop the flowers into a vase. This often works well for unwieldy stems or if you’re using stems of different lengths that need to be held together. Otherwise you can just arrange straight into your vase. When placing your first flowers, try to create some structure by crossing the stems, so things lock into each other and don’t move. Use your first stem placements to create a good foundation for your most special and showy blooms. If your vase has a particularly wide opening you may want to add a kenzan inside to support your flowers, or you can create a grid on the top using tape. We often do this when a vase has a very wide neck so that flower stems can be placed in the optimum positions without too much movement.

The key to arranging directly into a vase is to choose the right vase the first time. Once your stems are cut to the perfect length it can be hard to reposition them. Try the empty vase in situ first and make sure you’re happy with it.

Check your water! If you’ve arranged directly into the vase you may need to change the water once you’ve finished. Just hold the flowers around the junction point (where the neck of the vase would be), or tie a piece of twine around them so they stay in place, and remove them. Give the vase a good rinse: the cleaner the vase and the water, the longer your flowers will live!snap by Lauren Bamford

FLOWER PLACEMENT
Choosing where to put each flower in your arrangement can be a daunting prospect. Old-school floristry suggests spreading the different styles of flowers evenly across the bouquet but this can give your arrangement a stiff and formal look. If all the stems are loosely and unevenly mixed it will create a more textural, wildflower-style bouquet, which can be very beautiful in the right circumstances and give a more informal look.

We find Australian flowers look best in small groups. This way each of the blooms can be fully appreciated, and your eye can rest. Grouping sculptural and delicate flowers will allow them to be more readily admired.

Choosing the location of your focal flowers is very important. These blooms will naturally draw the eye due to their colour and scale. You can group them, provided you take care they are positioned at different heights and angles. Focal blooms are impactful flowers so they generally look best spread across your arrangement – they need a little space around them to fully shine.Bush Flowers by Cassandra Hamilton and Michael Pavlou, published by Thames & Hudson Australia, AUD$59.99, available 28 February 2023.