Part 3/3 – How to Create a Dried Flower Bouquet
Welcome Back, again!
This is the third and final part of Wonder & Wild’s three part series, how to create your own dried flower arrangements, and this week I will be guiding you in creating a dried flower bouquet.
As I have said before, as the days are getting longer, slightly warmer and brighter, it felt like the perfect time to offer you some inspiration in getting creative and crafting your own dried flower arrangements. As you are aware, I already have DIY Kits at sownandwild.co.uk, but this particular blog is aimed at exploring bouquets – so when you buy a Sown and Wild bouquet, you can either place it straight in your vase or have a go at arranging it yourself with this guide.
The skills you will learn from this blog can be applied to all types of floral bouquets, for example, for a fresh, dried or artificial one. At this time of year, during early Spring, not many flowers have bloomed yet, so dried flowers offer that chance to practice your creativity before everything is in full bloom.
The guidance below focuses on dried flowers, and so the obvious difference with a fresh bouquet is that you need to ensure they are placed in water, and that this is changed a few times to ensure they stay fresh for as long as possible. But, as we know, the beauty of dried is they are low maintenance, long lasting and just beautiful in every way.
So how to make a dried flower bouquet, the key is to always make sure you have everything you need before you start. This ensures the process is enjoyable and there are limited distractions.
You will need
- Flowers and foliage,
- Vase, and water if fresh,
- Scissors.
What you choose to include in your bouquet is your choice, and will be influenced by seasons if fresh, yet the principles are the same. To start you will need to ‘condition’ the stems, this simply means prepping the flowers and foliage, and this is most important for fresh as it will prevent them for wilting and keep a longer shelf life. For all bouquet types, conditioning involves pruning the stems of unwanted leaves, thorns and additional branches, I always leave the stem trimming to the end though, as the length of the stems will be influenced by the vase height and depth.
Once the stems are conditioned, you can now arranging the bouquet. So there are loads of ways to arrange a bouquet, and this is the way I love to do it.
Usually I will start the bouquet with foliage, this acts as a base and a background for the flowers, almost like a contrast to enhance the colours of the other stems. Yet this doesn’t always have to be green, there are some beautiful preserved eucalyptus stems which are dyed in vibrant colours such as magenta and burnt oranges. These still offer a contrast if you were using say, yellow or white tones.
With regards to the shape of your bouquet, I usually find this is best dictated by the flowers and foliage you have chosen. So a bouquet with pampas and grasses would be tall and slender, whilst a bouquet with eucalyptus and focal flowers, such as roses would be round and luscious, and a bouquet with daisies, gypsophila and bunny tails may look more handpicked and rustic.
If you are opting for all flowers, without foliage then using filler florals can really help to fill gaps in your bouquets. Examples of filler florals are gypsophila, daisies and lavender, and they add a beautiful depth to your arrangement. If you are opting to use focal flowers, so a flower which will be the focus of your arrangement, I usually use 3 or 5 of these as odd numbers look more aesthetically pleasing.
Focal flowers come in all shapes, colours and sizes, and offer a wow factor to a bouquet. Examples of focal flowers are peonies, roses and billy buttons, but can also be delicate like achilleas, scabiosa and preserved hydrangea.
Once you have arranged the bouquet, and you are happy with the look and shape, you can trim the stems. The height of the bouquet should be dictated by the vase, and the golden rule, or even golden ratio, is that the bouquet is 2.5x larger or taller than the vase itself. This ensures it is visually pleasing.
And it is as simple as that.
Don’t forget to tag @sown_and_wild in any of your arrangements, whether this is the wreath, crown or bouquet. Most importantly, enjoy learning a new craft and keep practicing as the more you try, the easier and more natural it will become to you.
Thank you for reading this series, I hope you enjoyed them and if you have any ideas or questions, don't hesitate to contact me on hello@sownandwild.co.uk. Love Chloe x