Arranging a romantic bouquet

The holidays can put a fair amount of strain on anyone’s budget. Even if you plan your budget perfectly, extra spending during a few weeks can make anyone feel the need to tighten the belt. If you are feeling the financial pressure but you still want to spoil your loved one for Valentine’s, you should consider making your own fresh flower arrangement. Even if you have never made your own bouquet, it’s easier than you think!

Things you need:

• A selection of flowers (preferably red)
• Foliage to match the flowers

• A suitable vase
• Colourful ribbon to match the arrangement
• Accessories like a heart or cupid pick (optional)

Instructions:

• Choose your flowers with the vase in mind. It’s not only about the size of the vase but the shape too. A short vase requires flowers with shorter stems and the opposite is true for long stems.
• Red roses are an excellent option for this occasion but you can also use other red flowers like carnations or tulips. If, for whatever reason, you are not sure about red flowers, you could opt for pink instead. A beautiful pink bouquet can be wonderfully romantic but not overly passionate. Pink flowers are great for newer relationships or if you know that your Valentine prefers pink to red.
• Now choose foliage to suit the flowers. You don’t need to add a lot of foliage but you should include at least two or three types of foliage to create a beautiful and natural look.
• Prepare your vase with water and flower preserve.
• Add each stem to the vase one at a time and trim them as you go. When trimming the stems, remove any lower leaves too.
• When arranging your stems, you should start by placing some mass and filler flowers around the margin. You can add some foliage and then place the focal flowers in the middle. Finish off with some more foliage and perhaps small filler flowers here and there.
• Once you are done arranging all the flowers, you can attach a ribbon to the vase.
• Finish off with a decorative flower pick for that perfect finishing touch.