Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How to Expertly Arrange a Gorgeous Bouquet of Roses for Valentine's Day

How to Expertly Arrange a Gorgeous Bouquet of Roses for Valentine's Day

You can have a beautiful display without splurging. Here's how the pros put together an eye-catching bouquet.

Christmas is often referred to as the most wonderful time of the year, but I think the best holiday is Valentine's Day. I love the fun decorations, all of the sweet treats, and a reason to treat myself to a beautiful bouquet of roses. Of course, I always support my local florist, but because I buy cut flowers quite often, I wanted to find a way to help out a small business while not blowing a good portion of my paycheck on arrangements. The solution is to buy flowers from your florist, but not have them arranged. "The industry standard is to charge around 30% for an arranging fee," says Kerrie Buettner, owner and floral designer of Every Bloomin' Thing in Iowa City, Iowa.

I'm not a professional florist, so I asked Buettner and Debra Prinzing, the producer behind Slow Flowers, an online directory of suppliers of local and domestic blooms, for help on how to create a beautiful arrangement.

Because it's Valentine's Day, I'm featuring roses in my arrangement; they come in my favorite color (pink) and symbolize love, so they're perfect for the holiday. But, be aware that not all roses are the same. Garden roses, which you'll find at your local florist, not at your grocery store, are bigger and have a higher petal count, Buettner explains. Prinzing often uses different varieties of David Austin roses that she grows herself in her arrangements. "Garden roses are not long-lived, which makes them all the more special," Prinzing says. "Enjoy them for the moment; for a few days. And enjoy watching the natural progression of older petals floating down to your tabletop or mantel as the arrangement ages."



How to Arrange a Bouquet with Roses


You can choose to arrange with all roses or a variety of blooms. It's up to you how many flowers you buy. Of course, the more blooms in the vase, the more bountiful it will look. As a rule of thumb, "Stick to odd numbers," Buettner says. When you buy your flowers, get them into room-temperature water a soon as possible. Then, select your vase; I prefer a modern version ($50, Wayfair). Fill it with room-temperature water, and add half of a packet of flower food ($17 for 200, Amazon). You might have heard of some watering hacks that say aspirin or vodka can be used to help your flowers live longer, but there's no evidence they have much effect, so stick to the flower food. Before you place your flowers in the vase, cut your stems with a pair of sharp pruners ($13, The Home Depot). You can vary the lengths of your stems however you'd like to make the display interesting. Buettner says your flowers should be 1 to 1 1/2-feet high in a vertical bouquet.



Prinzing recommends stripping the lower foliage off of each stem. "It's nice to leave one leaf stem near the flower head to add some contrast in your arrangement or bouquet," she explains. If your roses have thorns, use a rose stripper ($29 for two, Amazon) to remove them carefully. "To arrange roses only, vary the bloom size and stem length to create a bouquet with depth and shape," Prinzing says. "To arrange roses with other flowers, place the roses in the vase first; then add annuals, herbs, foliages, bulb flowers in between the roses. Use the same technique of varied heights of stems," she adds.

For my first arrangement, I used dusty millers, white hydrangeas, light pink garden roses, tulips, leatherleaf ferns, and monte casinos, thanks to recommendations from Buettner. After I had everything arranged, I tied a bow made from pink sheer ribbon ($5, Michaels) around the vase for an extra pretty touch.



Of course, cut flowers aren't like your houseplants, and they will only last about a week or so, Buettner says. To keep your blooms looking their best, "Change your water every day," Buettner recommends. "And every three days, give the stems a fresh cut. It opens up the stem like a straw," she adds. If you use a hydrangea as I did, you can submerge it in water if the flowers start to wilt. Enjoy your arrangement while it lasts, and when it's time for a fresh bouquet, check out what's available at your florist, and put together another beautiful display.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×