How to Make a Fresh-Cut Garden Flower Bouquet

Aug 26

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Garden-to-table doesn’t always just mean the foods you eat. There are plenty of creative ways to bring your garden into your home and onto your table, like with a fresh-cut garden flower bouquet.

I’m sure you’ve seen the colorful bouquets at farmers markets, or stumbled across some Pinterest pin showcasing a garden-style arrangement, but have you ever made one of your own? This past week I invited my Garden-to-Table membership group over to my garden for a class with Brittney from Willow Design, a local flower arrangement company out of Lake Geneva. Brittney provided us with some good guidelines, tips, and tricks for creating a gorgeous bouquet, and then we all roamed through my garden collecting flowers and greenery for our bouquets.

Of course, even though we all started out with the same Mason jar vessel, everyone’s arrangement was beautifully unique. And we asked Brittney lots of questions along the way, because believe it or not, flower arranging is not as easy as it may seem.

Sure, flowers are beautiful, so you really can’t go wrong with bringing them into your home, but if you want a real show-stopping bouquet, here are some guidelines when making a fresh-cut garden flower bouquet:

1. Choose your vase/vessel before you pick your flowers.

Your flower bouquet will depend on the container you are putting it in. Are you using a pint size Mason jar? Then you probably can’t pull off a tall, heavy arrangement or it will topple over.

Also, get creative with your vases! I do love the rustic Mason jar look, but you could create an arrangement in a watering can, a teapot, a tin can, a champagne flute, a cleaned-out candle jar. And you don’t have to do one giant arrangement. If you only have a couple of smaller vessels, you can make several mini-arrangements and place them throughout your living space.

2. Think outside the flowers.

I think one of the biggest visual differences between a professionally made bouquet (say for a wedding or event) and a homemade one is that professionals use a lot of greenery and accent pieces in addition to flowers.

Eucalyptus and green leafy varieties are classic “fillers,” but you could also add in fresh-cut herbs or whatever suits your fancy as you scan your garden. At the cut-flower class one person even used celery leaves in their arrangement!

3. Remember to cut your flowers on a 45 degree angle.

When you are out in the garden cutting your flowers, err on the side of cutting them too long. Then, when you are ready to arrange your bouquet, you can re-cut the flowers to the length you need them to be for your vase. At this point is when you will want to cut your flower stems on an angle, which allows for maximum water absorption. It will keep your bouquet looking fresher for longer.

4. More isn’t always better.

Sometimes, jam-packing a jar full of blooms isn’t the way to go. For a pint-sized mason jar, Brittney recommends 3-5 full blooms, with smaller accent flowers and greenery to fill it out. And then you can also play with different heights as you cut your flowers and fillers, and different textures, to round out your bouquet.

The key is to not go overboard in any one area. And if you really can’t help yourself, make a couple of smaller arrangements in addition to your main piece and scatter them throughout your living space for a fresh flowery scent in every room!

Are you inspired to make your own bouquet with flowers from the garden?

I love bringing the beauty of the garden into my home. And I love to share it with friends. If you have enough flowers to make more than one arrangement, think about giving one to a friend or neighbor. Spread the love, and make your corner of the world a little more beautiful!