Whether you’re putting together a wedding bouquet, buying a gift for a special occasion or buying them just because, there always seem to be a reason to buy flowers. With their bright colors, sweet smells and overall pleasing aesthetic, flowers are a perfect way to show someone special that you are about them and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t enjoy getting flowers or plants as a gift.
Need further proof that people love flowers?
- There are depictions of arrangements of flower bouquets that date back as far as 2500 BC.
- The annual spending on floral products in the United States is more than $26.6 billion dollars.
- Mother’s Day accounts for one-fourth of the floral purchases made for holidays. About a third (35 percent) of adults bought flowers or plants as gifts for Mother’s Day in 2015.
- Christmas/Hanukkah is the No. 1 holiday for buying floral arrangements. Thirty percent of adults purchase flowers or plants as gifts for the holiday season.
- According to a National Retail Federation Survey, 66 percent of those celebrating Mother’s Day will buy mom flowers, spending an estimated $2.4 billion in 2016.
- Flowers make up about seven to eight percent of a typical wedding budget.
- More than 60 percent of wedding parties include a flower girl.
- 63 percent of flowers are purchased for oneself and 37 percent of flowers are purchased as gifts.
- According to the American Society of Florists, Valentine’s Day is the number one holiday for florists as it represents a third of the fresh flower purchases and 40 percent of the annual money spent on flowers and plants.
- About 15 percent of American women will send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day.
With plenty of floral arrangement ideas available, in theory it should be fairly easy to put together the perfect bouquet. All you have to do is pick your favorite flowers, put them together and put them in a vase and voila right?
As the old saying goes, “If it was easy, everyone would do it.”
There may be plenty of floral arrangement ideas plastered all over the Internet, but there’s more to putting together the perfect bouquet than you think.
As you try to put together the perfect floral arrangement, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Which flowers are in season at the time you’re making the arrangement?
- What do you need to do to make your flowers last longer?
- How are different flowers paired together in a way that works?
It’s easy to pick up a pre-made store-bought bouquet, there’s plenty of advantages to putting together your own floral arrangements. Armed with a few simple tools like shears, twine and a vase you can master floral arrangements and start to create your own floral arrangement ideas.
For a simple bouquet, try local wildflowers such as cornflower, Queen Anne’s lace and astrantia. In the summer, try adding globe amaranth or dahlias.
For formal occasions, classic flowers such as roses (preferably white), greenery and white peonies offer a simple, pleasing arrangement.
If you’re attending a party and want to bring the hostess a gift, orchids are a great way to go. They offer a touch of elegance and don’t take a whole lot of effort to stay alive. For an even more personal touch, offer the host or hostess something from your own garden if you’re a gardener. A meaningful gift of orchids, roses or fresh herbs will be remembered for a long time.
If you’re looking to add a little something to a coffee table or side table at home, a makeshift vase full of buds of different sizes looks fresh and interesting. A cluster of flowers in a drinking glass or mason jar looks full and can add something unique as a centerpiece to a table.
If you’re looking for long-lasting floral arrangement ideas, try flowers that dry well. That means using Limonium, lavender, eucalyptus and Baby’s breath. To make flowers last longer, try trimming stems every few days at an angle and be sure to refresh the water in your vase.
With so many floral arrangement ideas available, the only limit to creating colorful, creative bouquets of your own is your imagination. Try pairing your favorite flowers with seasonal blooms to create your own masterpieces.
