How to Arrange Flowers Like a Pro

While shopping for ingredients for my daughter’s birthday dinner, I made a spur of the moment decision to buy her some flowers. I let my son pick them out and he went straight for these red spray roses.

I don’t have many vases and none of them were right for these flowers. So I went through the recycle bin to find something with a wide mouth and not too tall. A plastic take-out container was just what I needed.

A few steps later and I have a professional-looking arrangement!

The supplies you’ll need for this project are: flowers from the grocery store, washi tape, a wide-mouth plastic container (a large aluminum can will also work), a high tack tape like duct or floral tape, and scissors.

First, trim the stems of the flowers. I like to cut them to about double the height of my container. That way when they’re placed in the container the height of the flowers equals the height of the vase making the arrangement look balanced.

Remove any leaves that would be in contact with water. This will help keep the water clean.

Next, make a grid across the opening of the container using tape. I cut my wide tape into thinner strips. I’ve tried this with clear tape in the past and found that it didn’t hold very well.

Trim any excess tape around the edges.

Cover the container with washi tape. I stared out using a pastel-colored tape, but switched to a black and white tape that better complimented the color of the flowers.

Place the stems into the slots until the arrangement looks full and balanced. And, of course, fill the container with water. I used a watering can with a narrow spout to get in between the tape. 

Vanessa Tsumura lives in Wisconsin with her family. She blogs about crafts and DIY projects at Bluet & Clover .