Easy Flower Arranging

On Mother’s Day (May 10) impress your mom — and yourself! — by crafting a simple yet sophisticated seasonal arrangement from The Flower Recipe Book (Artisan Books) by Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo of Studio Choo Florists.

 

Anemone with Company

Flowers

• 3 stems of geranium
• 4 stems of agonis
• 7 stems of anemone
• 3 vines of jasmine

Vessel

• Vintage sugar bowl

Directions

1. Trim and place stems of geranium and agonis in bowl so that lowest leaves rest at its rim.
2. Trim and add five stems of anemone to rest on geranium leaves in center of bowl, and remaining two stems so that they’re a few inches higher on the left and right.
3. Trim and tuck jasmine vines so that two drape over edges of bowl and one reaches out to top of arrangement.
4. Add only a few inches of water. Anemone stems are hollow and will rot quickly in deep water.

 

Peony Recipe

Flowers

• 9 peonies (the same variety at different stages of openness)

Vessels

• 2 blue mason jars

Directions

1. Trim and add three stems to the first jar so that the blooms rest 2 inches above the rim.
2. Trim and add four stems to the same jar so that the bottoms of the blooms sit just above the first three flowers, creating a tight mass of blooms.
3. Trim and add the last two stems to the second jar so that the blooms sit at slightly different heights, a few inches above the rim.

 

Poppy Recipe

Flowers

• 20 poppies

Vessel

• Handmade ceramic vase

Directions

1. Attach a flower frog to the bottom of the vase with floral putty.
2. Trim and burn the stems* and add the poppies to the base at varying heights so that each stem has its own space within the arrangement, and no blooms are touching.

*Stem Burning. We’ve found that burning the stems of poppies allows them to open and stay intact for quite a while. The technique is simple: Just hold the newly cut end of a poppy’s stem in the flame of a lighter for a few seconds.