How to Cut Garden Flowers for Floral Arrangements: Fall Floral Design

Ever wonder how to use your landscape to create beautiful floral designs?  Follow the step by step guide in this second edition of How to Cut Garden Flowers for Floral Arrangements. (See first edition here)

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Rustic Fall Arrangement

Materials:

  • Vase
  • Scissors
  • Permission to cut plants in the landscape
  • Water
  • 6 or 7 stems of Miscanthus (Maidenhair) Grass
  • 1 Stem Limelight Hydrangea
  • 3 Stems Autumn Fire Sedum

 

Optional Supplies:

  • Floral preservative
  • Raffia or decorative ribbon
  • Berries such as bittersweet
  • Garden Mums

 

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Supplies

Step 1: Gather materials

For the flowers, be sure to cut the stems long enough to reach the bottom of your vase.  The Grasses will need to be longer than the rest.  Place the cut stems in water right away so they won’t dry out and your flowers will last longer.  Be creative with your vase choices: Use a coffee mug, tin can, or any other object that will hold water.

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Bittersweet Berries

Step 2: Preparation.

Bring your cut flowers to a table that you can get messy.  Take them out of the water, and clean out your vase.  Add in fresh water and floral preservative if you have some.  Prep your cut plants by removing the lower 4-6 inches of leaves and any spent or unsightly flowers.  The goal of this step is to be sure there will be no leaves in the water of the vase which will decay and discolor your water.

 

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Arrangement without Mum Accent

Step 3: Arrangement. 

Add the hydrangea first.  Shorten the stem so that the flowers are about one inch above the vase.  Next, bundle all your grass stems and insert behind the hydrangea.  The grass heads should start opening at the bottom of the vase but not be in the water.  The third part is to add the sedum.  There should only be two or three leaves left on these stems.  Insert the sedum in the space below the hydrangea.  Shorten the stems if necessary to keep the flowers tight together.  Finally, add an accent such as garden mums or native bittersweet berries.

Step 4: Place in a prominent part of your home and ENJOY! 

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Arrangement with Mum Accent

 

Click to find more Floral Design Tips: How to Cut Garden Flowers for Floral Arrangements: Country Floral Design

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