Flower Arranging at The Bloom Academy

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend The Bloom Academy’s first workshop. Emily hosted the event. If you’re unfamiliar with her work, she is a seriously gifted florist in Kansas City. I mean, off the charts talented.

A little less than a year ago, I had attended an event where she gave flower arranging tips. It upped my flower game by about a thousand percent, but I still wanted to learn more.

One of the things that was really great about the workshop is that each guest had an opportunity to have Emily give one-on-one advice on how to improve their arrangement. Mine needed a few more flowers. It was amazing to see how a few small tricks could transform a bouquet.

Here are my favorite things I learned from The Bloom Academy about arranging flowers:

Start by creating a nest for your arrangement by criss-crossing leafy stems like eucalyptus or Dusty Miller.
Next, add in larger blooms, which in our case were dahlias, roses, tulips, stock, snapdragons and lisanthus.
Then, fill in with pretties that have a lot of texture, like heather.
Last, but not least, look it over. Do you need to add more? Is there enough greenery? Could you use bigger flowers?
If you’re arrangement is too tight, don’t be afraid to loosen it up a bit.

I also picked up some odds and ends that I’d like to pass on to you:

Tulips continue to grow even after they’re cut, so you may have to readjust your arrangement a few days later.
Any foliage or blooms below the water will make the whole thing smell stinky and turn your water murky.
Roses and tulips may need a day or two to open up. Buy them ahead of time if you want to use them for an event.
To change out your water, stick the faucet into the vase. Fill it until it is overflowing. Then, dump out the excess water.
There is no perfect number of blooms to buy or a foolproof rule like using an odd number.
Asymmetrical designs look more organic.
Keep your design a little loose. You may need to add more flowers or readjust the height. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect on the first try.
Try to trim your flowers so that the blooms are just above the vase’s edge.