Gloria B. Collins

Daily Art Lifts the Spirit

  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
    • Catalog
  • Sketchbook
    • Why Daily Art
  • Journal
  • Contact
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Privacy Policy

5 Tips to Create Stunning Garden Style Flower Arrangements

May 30, 2018 By Gloria B. Collins

stunning garden style centerpieces for a wedding reception

Garden style flower arrangements make stunning table centerpieces.

Garden Style Flower Arrangements.

A good seasonal arrangement for me looks as if you just picked the flowers from the garden and placed them in a container without fussing. My arrangements are loose, airy and not fussy. This look is easy to achieve so long as you follow a few tips.

5 Tips for Stunning Garden Style Flower Arrangements.

When I begin any flower arrangement, I always start by thinking of my arrangement as a little garden. Each arrangement is a small landscape complete with trees, turf, bushes, and flowers. I make sure to capture all these elements to create a whimsical, eye-catching arrangement.

arranging freshly cut flowers on a garden table

Arranging flowers in my garden.

Structure:

First, look and see what you have growing in your backyard garden. Most American backyard gardens, in the North East, are landscaped typically with Azalea bushes, Rhododendrons, Spirea, Forsythia, Holly and Evergreen trees, etc. These all can be used to form what I call the “Structure.”  Cut these branches to begin establishing the foundation and perimeter of the vase.

cutting backyard garden flowers for flower arrangements

Using backyard garden flowers for arrangements

 

Garden Azalea for flower arrangements

Garden Azalea


Cut three or four beautiful branches with exciting curves to begin filling your vase. Place them to define your height and width.

Foundation:

The”grass” in your garden is its foundation. It frames the garden, right?  Well, consider the lip or base of the vase it too needs to be covered with a foundation green.

For these arrangements, I used Lamb’s ear growing in my backyard garden. It spreads rather quickly and looks pretty both in the garden and in vases. Bonus? Lamb’s ear is deer resistant.

Fresh herbs grown to use in flower arrangements

Herbs to use in my flower arrangements.

 

The goal is to cover the base of your container while adding texture to the arrangement with leaves. I honestly, like to use at least three varieties, but one works beautifully. Again look to see what is in your garden, maybe you are growing grasses, low growing evergreens that are bushy, Pachysandra, Periwinkle, or Ivy.  All of these last in water while adding a fantastic textural base to cover.

I find that most American homes are not landscaped to grow flowers. They are landscaped to be “low maintenance,” which means we’ve detached ourselves from growing flowers in our backyards.

So what about the flowers?

Garden Peonies

Garden Peonies

Focal flowers:

Your Focal flowers are typically your prize flowers. In this arrangement, I used Peonies.

So here is where you can begin growing your very own flower garden. When we bought our old farmhouse, I found a few peonies plants but not much else. I divided them every other year, and now I have a massive collection of big beautiful blooms. Another variety of flowers I’ve been adding are roses. I currently have over thirty-six rose bushes that I’ve counted so far this year.

It takes time to establish a perennial garden. So be patient with yourself. If you want to start growing flowers start with the ones that take longest to develop into cutting flowers.

If you intend to grow flowers and have a  “Fast American Landscaped backyard,” here are links that will help you get started.

5 Tips to Create Stunning Garden Style #FlowerArrangements

Flower arrangements inspired by the garden.

Filler flowers:  

These are flowers smaller in size to the Focal flowers, and I place them tucked in and out to frame the Focal flowers. For this wedding, I used Spirea the actual flowers from flowering bushes, which are in season.

The Final Touch:

The whimsical touches are what creates that sense of wonder to my arrangements. It warrants a second glance to see “what’s that flower?” Here I add locally grown Ranunculus and Sweet Peas as one of the delicate blooms peaking atop the arrangement. But my crowning glory this time was my garden Lily-of-the-Valley, which grows like a weed.

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley

 

Completed garden style flower arrangement

Garden Flower Arrangement

So there you have it a quick guide to how you can begin to think like an in-season flower designer. Use what is growing in your yard/garden even if you are not gardening flowers. You can find something to cut to bring in your home. A branch, a fern leaf even grasses. Bringing nature in the house is an excellent way to keep oneself in balance with the seasons and the moment.

I’d love to see your garden style flower arrangements. If you are on Twitter or Instagram be sure to tag me in your posts as I’d love to know if these tips were helpful to you!

If you haven’t already, please sign up for my monthly email newsletter where I share a behind the scenes look at how I’m working things out in life and in my garden. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Filed Under: Flowers

My Social Networks

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email Newsletter Signup

  • Sign up for my email newsletter and receive my FREE Art Planner download!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Connect with me!

gloriabcollins

Picking herbs and bits from the garden. #theygard Picking herbs and bits from the garden.  #theygardenanddraw #cottagegarden is such a joy for me as is my #art. Hope you are enjoying your day. ❤️
Left overs always are best the next day! #mixedmed Left overs always are best the next day! #mixedmedia #illustration #theygardenanddraw #homedesign #kitchenart
Gardening and drawing together bring pure joy! #th Gardening and drawing together bring pure joy! #theygardenanddraw #illustrationartists #illustrator #kitchenart #recipeartist
Making some kitchen art today. Staying loose and Making some kitchen art today.  Staying  loose and having fun.  #theygardenanddraw
As an Artist, there’s always time to make whatev As an Artist, there’s always time to make whatever brings us Joy. For the past few days, I’ve been traveling and exploring.  And now, it’s time to catch up with my prompts. Let’s see what’s growing in the garden. #theydrawandgarden 

Not sure what the prompt was before I sat to draw because I just wanted to capture this clematis before it passed. I used watercolor and Tombow brush pens.
Yesterday I went to my local nursery and picked th Yesterday I went to my local nursery and picked these beauties out for the garden. I just had to watercolor paint them #theydrawandgarden
As a little girl, I made my art to pass the time. As a little girl, I made my art to pass the time. But my grandfather saw something more and gave me my first unpaid commission.  I remember vividly the dining room table I sat at, and out of the blue, he came up to me with his loving voice and asked me to illustrate two intertwined trees, depicting the deep and ageless love a couple has for each other, a pretty deep ask for a ten-year-old. But I followed the brief and delivered. 

What he thought of the drawing must have been positive because I’m still draw. I didn’t get any negative comments. 

What happened to the young artist in you? #MindfulMonday #theydrawandgarden
Why not have fun drawing recipes. #foodillustratio Why not have fun drawing recipes. #foodillustration practice, practice, practice.
Load More... Follow on Instagram


Copyright© 2023 • Gloria B. Collins

  • Email Newsletter Signup

    Sign up for my email newsletter and receive my FREE Art Planner download!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.