Floral arrangements for non-florists

For me, the home is incomplete without fresh flowers and I always make it a point to get my hands on pretty blooms at least every forthnight. If you are relatively new to simple floral arrangements and are intimidated, don't be! Here are some tips that may help you get by.

1. Start simple. There's no need to spend a bomb on vases and even flowers. Just recycle wine bottles, candle containers, use whiskey glasses, pretty much any suitable container you have. I used to buy only fancy flowers like the wild ones that grow in cool climates, hydrangeas, calla lilies or cymbidium orchids but soon realized it's not economical when you have your own home and to buy those every fortnight. So I reserve them for special occasions and learnt to appreciate tropical orchids and green palms as they are not as pricey as the imported ones in our country. I also look out for, flowers that keep relatively long. I once bought green palms (like the one pictured below) for like $3 and they lasted almost 2 months!

2. For long flower stems, you have the option of cutting it into 2. The flowers can then go into 2 separate vases or arranged in the same vase. This method is especially useful if you only have normal short glasses. The following picture illustrates this step.

3. To keep flowers longer, I tend to trim the stems diagonally to allow it to absorb more water. If you're feeling it, every 2-3 days, trim the stem slightly more to get rid of the soggy/browned portion.

4. The result - Master bath-room.

5. The result - Master bed-room

6. The living room - Bar area

7. The result - The entry console table

Just 4 stalks of purple mokara orchids gave me pretty arrangements in 4 different areas in my home. Going cheap does not mean compromising on beauty ❤