When my husband and I go on dates, the conversation sometimes turns to “what do you want to do when we grow old?” My answer has always been that I’d like to live in France and Italy each for a few months and take cooking classes from the finest chefs, and floral classes from true artists. Last night, I got a glimpse of what my retirement could look like by taking a Floral Design Tips class from a true artist, and it’s everything I dreamed it would be!
The designers at Le Jardin Fracais design for some of the most high-end weddings, homes and gardens in our beautiful city (and elsewhere – she’s big time!) Originally from Paris she grew up in the family business of floral design and entertaining. To watch her is like being in the presence of a master. To be in her boutique feels like stepping into a Parisian floral shop.
The class started with Marie-Laure, who owns Le Jardin Francais, putting together an arrangement while walking us through tips. At the same time she was creating a bouquet in a vase, another exemplary florist, Marion Sadeoux, assembled the French way of creating a bouquet. This is called a “bouquet rond” (or French hand bouquet) and it’s built in the hand, and tied before putting it inside a vase.
I was fascinated and couldn’t wait to learn their tips to creating beautiful flower arrangements and find out how they got them to live longer.
Here are the five key tips they shared that I’ve tested and have proven to work time and again.
Tip #1
Don’t Arrange Blooms Tightly
Be sure the blooms are not clenched together. Pressure on the flower bloom doesn’t allow it room to grow and open, and is shortening the length of time your arrangement survives.
Tip #2
Arrange in a Swirl Formation
To be sure you are not putting pressure on the blooms, create your arrangements in your hand before placing them in the vase.
The stems should be in a “swirl” formation. All the stems should almost go in a circular pattern which allows the blooms at the top to not be pressed together with pressure on them, and no breakage of the stem below.
Example of how to Properly Arrange Flowers
Look at how Marion (another incredible floral designer) is holding this bouquet rond arrangement. Can you see how the stems are not touching, but rather flaring out as she forms the arrangement at the top?
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Tip #3
stay mold free
Absolutely no foliage goes in water. Foliage creates mold and algae, which is the enemy of your arrangement. Clean all stems first. You should have about 1/3 of your stem be flower and foliage for the top of the arrangement, the rest clean stems.
Tip #4
Length of Stems
All stems should touch bottom of vessel. Ensure that when you cut the stem that they are long enough to hit the bottom of the vase. This ensures they get adequate water. When Marie-Laure placed each flower or foliage piece in the vase, she would push it down until she felt the bottom of the stem hit. I used to have shorter stems thinking that was OK because they still reached water. It’s not and that’s because water can quickly evaporate leaving those stems dry!
Tip #5
Always cut your flowers before putting them in water. If you buy them from a grocery store, they need a fresh new cut to allow hydration. And when you cut the stems, always cut on the diagonal. Important: use the sharpest tool you can find. A low quality tool will smoosh the stem with it’s lack of sharpness. A clean, sharp cut will allow full hydration and increase the longevity of your arrangement.
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Bonus Tip
Hydrangea Revival
Since hydrangea are my favorite flowers I wanted to know more specifics on how to care for this particular flower.I learned that if your hydrangea are starting to wilt, cut them and place them in boiling water for 15-20 minutes.
RELATED: How to Keep Hydrangea Alive Longer
If you arrange properly, give your flowers clean and sharp cuts, and stay mold free, your flower arrangements should look beautiful longer. I’ve been using the tips Le Jardin Francais taught me for years and have had such success keeping my flower arrangements alive longer! What a beautiful evening it was.
She’s amazing some of the most beautiful floral arrangements I have ever seen