A Flower Bouquet For
Your Home & Sweetheart

* Vases, posies, wreaths, flower bouquets & button-holes,
* Floral arrangements for special occasions,
* Always fresh, fragrant and delightful. When you need a decent flower bouquet does your garden produce flowers for cutting? There are many occasions when desirable flowers are either out of season or they cannot be produced at all in a cool climate garden. These include greenhouse grown exotic blooms for which I have a separate page on this link to help guide your choice.

But don't worry - high quality flower bouquets are available from here so that you can provide your loved ones with surprise floral gifts and decorate your home with flowers at any time of year - even in winter.

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My Flower Gardening Links

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At Home With Flower Gardening

Much as I love to grow my own for cutting, when I use these flower sellers I don't have to worry about packaging. Moreover, when you buy these floral arrangements to send to a friend you can be sure of getting something extra special.

Home-Grown Flower Bouquets

Now the rest of the information here is on various ways of preparing your flowers for presentation - from flower bouquets and posies, to vases and wreaths... ....

Note that some of the American flowers bought from this link actually come in small vases of water to keep them fresh.

You'll find nice vases and bowls for displaying your arrangement with advice below on:-

how to select the right vase for your arrangement and
how to prepare your flowers to make your blooms last longer - see below.

Choose Your Vase Carefully

Beautiful blooms need a handsome vase. Indeed your vase is an integral part of your floral arrangement. So first:-

make the shape of your vase conform to the space available for your floral display - different vases will suite narrow shelves, or large tables or small tables.
choose a shape that compliments the shape of your chosen blooms - tall vases are for tall spiky inflorescences, and round shapes to balance full globular headed blooms.

If you live in the UK - check out this amazing self-moulding vase - you can remould them when warm - they set solid when cold.

Flowers and Vases for your home are here.

Clear Crystal Vases: clear still water gives your decor a sense of purity.
Cut Glass Patterned Vases: work well in sets and as sparkling focal points. But with an eye on shape and color see the decorated vases below.

Painted and Decorated Vases: in many forms they are well-used to blend in with your room decor and wall color. They come in creative shapes to fit narrow spaces. And in themselves they are handsome works of art. find handsome vases here.
Rose Bowls: round shapes balance and harmonise with the full rounded shapes of blooming roses. They are especially suited for tables.
Short Stems: to highlight a single stem such as Gerbera or an Orchid - some are wall mounted. - find more vases here.
Taller Vases: for long-stemmed flowers, spiky blooms and grasses. They're also used with long-stemmed roses.
Tall Urns: may be used for suitable dried flowers, grass and twig arrangements.

Make Your Flower Bouquets Last Longer

There are numerous 'old wives' tales on the subject of additives to vase water. You'll read advice about adding bleach, aspirin, lemon juice, vinegar and more. If I had to choose one, it would be real lemon juice, because that includes sugar, some anti-bacterial action, vitamins and organic acids like those in natural plant sap.

Professional information to help you care for cut blooms will be on this link soon and outlined below.

Cut flower stems fresh in the morning and place immediately into a flower bucket of water - use a sharp knife,
Recut stems underwater or under a running stream of water,
You should remove an inch or so of stem and cut to the desired height,
Leave room to recut the stems every day or so,
Use a sharp knife,
Make a slanting cut to reduce contact with the bottom of the vase,
Use a clean vase (steam sterilized perhaps),

Use clean tepid water - and keep it deep,
Use a small amount of florist food if available - but the water should remain clear,
Remove leaves that are below the water level and any other debris that collects in the vase water,
Avoid placing flower bouquets and vases into a draft, near a heat source or direct sunlight,
Dead head blossoms as they fade,

Check what professional florists say you should be doing on this link.

Foils & Greenery For Your Floral Arrangement

Greenery from conifers, holly, ferns and palms, as well as small misty looking inflorescence like Gypsophila make an ideal background for the main display of bold bright coloured blooms.

Making Wreaths

You need some wire, such as a coat hanger, bent into a circle to form the frame. Small wire ties are used for twisting around stems and with greenery to hold it into place. Ribbon and glitter may also be useful. Florist's accessories - including wreath rings, sponge, scissors, ties... can be found from these links.

Oasis

Florists use a sponge known as Oasis. The makers claim that Oasis Maxilife meets or beats the life of flowers in a vase of water. Stalks are inserted into Oasis which can be easily cut and placed into the bottom of a vase or dish.

Dried Flower Arrangements

Although dried floral arrangements lack the vivacious immediacy and romance of living blooms and flower bouquets, they do last much longer.

However, their main advantage is surely the unique shape and architecture they bring to your decor. Indeed, dried seed heads, cones and grasses, twigs, logs and bark cannot be missed by those who enjoy an earthy natural style for rooms and furnishing.