Easy ways with

fresh flowers

Fast fashion ideas - Expert advice - Care & buying tips

from the flowers & plants association

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Contents

Imagine how your home could look with flowers ....................................3

“I don’t have the right vases” .................................................................4-5

“I don’t know how long to cut the stems” .............................................6-7

“I need to be an expert to create really stylish flowers” ........................8-9

“I’m hopeless at anything creative” ........................................................10

Did you know? Colour and flowers .........................................................11

Get crafty with your flowers ......................................................................12

Our favourite design ideas ......................................................................13

“How do I keep my flowers alive longer?” ...............................................14

www.tryflowers.org.uk

Imagine how your

home could look

- with flowers

Cut flowers give every home

a stunning finishing touch.

There is such a variety of colour and

shape on offer these days, that you

are sure to find a flower to match your

interior décor and really make an

impact. Flowers are not just beautiful

- they can lift your spirits as well,

energising you and enhancing your

surroundings with colour, scent and

texture.

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So Simple, So Try It!

We launched our campaign So Simple So Try It!
in response to requests for easy, fun, fashionable
designs for flowers – something that looked like a
design you’d see in a magazine, but that didn’t
cost too much or take too long to create. Our
website tryflowers.org.uk has hundreds of designs
for you to try – we’ve chosen just a few of them to
give you an idea.

We’ll show you how simple and fun it can be to
achieve stylish, modern, fast flower arrangements
in your home. Have a go, get creative, and
express your personality with flowers. It’s so simple
– so try it!

4

Raid the kitchen cupboards

Jugs, teacups, dishes and jam jars can be used for flowers – arrange a
selection on a tea-tray, or wind wire around the necks and hang them
from a coat hook! This is very economical too, as even the shortest
stems of flowers can be used.

Glass is a versatile, readily available and elegant way to show off your
flowers. Wine, beer, olive oil and mineral water bottles come in interesting
shapes and colours – take a look next time you are grocery shopping.
Choose flowers with large heads like gerbera, lilies, roses or orchids –
put one stem in each bottle and line them up for instant glamour.
Simple, fast and stylish!

“I don’t have the right vases”

Even if you don’t own a single vase, you can still enjoy cut flowers.

www.tryflowers.org.uk

5

Get creative

Wrap a plain vase in patterned paper, or a square of fancy fabric. Stick

double-sided sticky tape round the outside of a tin can, and stick vertical

rows of twigs to the tape to cover it. Or line the inside of a glass with large

glossy leaves such as aspidistra, fatsia or cordyline. These will last longer

than the flowers so you can use them again for next week’s display!

Think outside the vase

If it’s waterproof, it can hold flowers. Try a child’s seaside bucket for a fun

summertime display – or fill some old wellies with flowers. (And if it’s not

waterproof – or your wellies have holes! – pop a glass inside first.)
Glasses and jars can also be put inside gift bags to hold water for

flowers. So if you’re on the move, you can still take your flowers with you.

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Short and sweet

They are your flowers – so it’s your choice! Don’t be afraid to cut the
stems. With shorter vases, flowers look better with their heads just
peeking over the rim. This is a very modern look and works best with
large-headed flowers like roses, tulips and chrysanthemums.

Cut one type of flowers short, and leave the other type long, for
an arrangement with dramatic levels.

“I don’t know how long

to cut the stems”

www.tryflowers.org.uk

7

Tall and handsome

Vases with narrow necks help bring smaller flowers, or long stems
like lilies, together. Flowers can also look great displayed entirely
inside a clear vase – tulips and orchids work particularly well in
this way.

Binding stems together is trendy and practical – it maximises the
impact of the flowers and makes them easy to arrange. This works
well with smooth-stemmed flowers such as gerbera, daffodils or
amaryllis, and is fantastic with large-flowered carnations.
Tie the flowers into “trees” with raffia, string or ribbon, so all the
flowerheads are massed together; then just cut each “tree” to a
different height, and arrange at jaunty angles.

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“I need to be an expert

to create really stylish flowers”

Florists undergo years of training to develop their skills and techniques to

create fantastic floral displays. Great florists are like great chefs, creating

works of art out of simple ingredients. However, we can all rustle up a

tasty meal with the right inspiration and advice!

The following tips will help you create something really stylish that you

can be proud of.

Group flowers together to increase their impact.

Use one flower in abundance – this makes even “everyday” flowers look

extravagant and luxurious. Cluster similar colours together, to boost

their impact.

Use tones of the same colour.

Deep blue, pale blue and lilac for instance; or orange, yellow and tan. You

can mix up flower shapes and sizes more easily this way.

www.tryflowers.org.uk

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Try contrasting colours.

This is a little more difficult, but makes a fantastic impact when you get

it right! Good pairings to try are royal purple and yellow, bright red and

emerald green, orange and hot pink, or blue and lime green.

Don’t forget foliages.

They can make your flowers look chic, or country-garden, or tropical

depending on what you choose. There are dozens of interesting and

long-lasting foliages around now, many gorgeous enough to be used

on their own. On the continent, bouquets are at least half foliage, half

flowers! Try wrapping your flowers with big green leaves around them, like

a collar. You can also use foliages to create height and drama, by adding

bear grass, snake grass or contorted willow. Remember not all foliages are

green – you can choose shades of grey, red, purple or yellow.

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“I’m hopeless at anything creative”

If all else fails, and you really are unsuccessful at arranging flowers,

then a lovely display idea is to cut off individual flower heads

and float them in a low dish of water. You can also add floating

candles for a “de-light-ful” dinner party table centre.

Did you know?

Flowers look great in any room in your home. The dining table

makes a great place to enjoy flowers daily. Try a vase in your hall

to welcome you when you come home from work. A bunch

in the bathroom brightens up a stark, plain interior while you

shower. Place a posy on your bedside table – fragrant flowers will

encourage romance!

www.tryflowers.org.uk

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Get crafty with your flowers to give

them a little extra appeal!

Wrap lace or fabric around the stems

Tie bows of ribbon up the stems

Add a pin to the centre of your blooms for subtle sparkle

Spray glitter on petals for full-on bling

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Some of our favourite design

ideas, from tryflowers.org.uk

Bling It On!

Add bling to party decorations and really set the mood - in 3 Easy

Steps

1. Fill tiny vases or shot glasses with water.

2. Snip short stems of flowers– these are lisianthus – and slide a ring

around a couple of stems..

3. Pop into the glasses! Sparkly necklaces, bracelets and beads are

great for tying larger bunches together.

Diving Belle

Forget flowers in water - here's flowers under water - in 3 Easy Steps

1. Fill a tall vase with water.

2. Trim a stem of cymbidium orchid to fit and pop it in.

3. Vanda orchids, hydrangea, roses and tropical leaves don't mind a

bath either.

Calla Curls

Get designer looking flowers - in 3 Easy Steps

1. One third-fill a goldfish bowl with water.

2. Starting with the flowerhead, carefully curl calla stems into the bowl.

3. Tuck in all the ends making sure they are in the water.

Tip : Leave calla lilies out of water for a couple of hours and their stems will loosen up.

www.tryflowers.org.uk

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Did you know?

The UK’s favourite flower colours are
shades of white, cream and green?
These cool calm colours come out top
in F&PA consumer surveys – probably
because they go with any interior
colour scheme, and they complement
the trend for minimalist design. Dozens
of flowers come in these shades – so
you can choose a different flower
each week!

If you want something more colourful,
remember that fresh flowers come in
every colour of the rainbow – even
black, if your tastes are Gothic! There
will be a flower to match your mood,
your wallpaper – even your eyes.

Care and Advice

Seven out of ten people in F&PA surveys say that long life is the most important thing they look for

when buying cut flowers. In many other countries, people are happy with shorter vase life of a

few days if it means enjoying more unusual or delicate flowers.

Modern breeding and growing techniques have improved fresh flowers considerably, broadening

the range, price and availability of flowers that we can buy. Flowers grown commercially for florists

and retailers are very different from those grown in your garden – they have longer, stronger,

straighter stems; more regular sized and shaped blooms; and better vase life.

Good growers and retailers condition their flowers – by cutting the stems, removing lower leaves,

placing them in water, and adding specially formulated flower food. This helps the flowers last

twice as long, compared with using fresh water alone – and it makes sure all the buds open up.

Flowers also need care from you : just a little time and effort when you bring your flowers home

can extend their life – and your enjoyment – for several days.

“How do I keep my

flowers alive longer?”

Follow the seven simple steps below, and

you can increase the life of your fresh

flowers!

1. Take a clean vase and fill with fresh

cool water (spring bulb flowers prefer

cold water).

2. Strip off each stem all the leaves

which will come below the water line.

3. Cut about a thumb’s length off all

stem ends, at a slant, with a sharp

knife or scissors.This helps stems take

up water more effectively.

4. Always use commercial flower food.

(If you don’t receive flower food with

your flowers,ask the retailer to

provide it.)

5. Keep flowers away from direct

sunlight, heat, and fruit.

6. Remove faded flowers as they occur.

7. Remember to top up the vase water

adding more flower food as well.

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www.tryflowers.org.uk

Do’s and Don’ts for Fresh Flowers

Do:



buy from a reputable source and ensure flowers are well wrapped for protection.



choose flowers with firm petals, fresh firm leaves, and buds that show colour. It shows that

they’ve absorbed enough food to develop fully.



use lukewarm water – it has less oxygen, which prevents air bubbles in the stem blocking

water uptake.



recut the stem ends after a week or so, as this helps water uptake.



use the sachet of cut flower food as instructed. Specialist nutrients feed the flowers,

preservatives lengthen their life, an acid balancer helps water uptake, and anti-bacterial

ingredients keep the water clean, all in one easy-to-use dose.

Don’t:



break, crush, peel or split the stems – stem abuse encourages bacteria to grow, damages

the delicate stem structure, and stops water and nutrients getting to the flowers.



put flowers near fruit, or leave dead flowers in with fresh ones – they both release a gas

which prematurely ages flowers.



place flowers in a draught or hot sunlight, or near central heating; this will make them

wilt faster.



put coins, lemonade, sugar, aspirin or bleach in the water. They waste your money, don’t

do your flowers any good, and may shorten their life considerably.

Images courtesy of the Flower Council of Holland and Flowers & Plants Association

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www.flowers.org.uk

www.tryflowers.org.uk

[e-mail]

[phone]

266-270 Flower Market New Covent Garden Market London SW8 5NB United Kingdom

The Flowers & Plants Association is the UK’s promotional non-profit

organisation for all cut flowers and indoor plants.

Visit flowers.org.uk for information on flower fashion trends, arrang-

ing tips, seasonal availability, where to buy flowers, regular blogs and

newsletters – and lots of advice on houseplants too!

Visit tryflowers.org.uk for fun fast fashionable ideas for displaying and

wearing your flowers : send in your ideas, save and share your favour-

ites, search the ideas by flower, colour or occasion.