Make Bouquets from Your Garden

A few stems gathered from my garden greets me at my kitchen window. A hard rain had flattened some and broke others. An ideal opportunity to create a bouquet.

A Stem Here, A Stem There

Perennial flowers planted in drifts and masses create splashes of color throughout the growing season. That planting design layout technique also creates a feeling of abundance. And, it allows you to create bouquets and still have plenty of flowers in your garden

An Easy Way to Arrange Your Stems

1) Gather your stems by cutting them where it makes sense horticulturally. For some flowers that would be just above a leaf or bud. For others, cut at soil level. An option is to “shape” the plant for a nicer form or reduce its mass.

Early morning is the best time to gather your flowers for a long lasting bouquet.

Tip: Do Steps 2 and 3 Outside

Doing this outside over a compost bin, pile, or landfill bag keeps the mess out of your house.

2) Holding the stems in one hand, arrange them into a bouquet. Your goal is to have flowers at different heights and a pleasing mix of colors and shapes.

You’ll have uneven stems lengths

3) Keeping in mind the height of the vase you’ll use, cut them evenly across the bunch so the stems will touch the bottom of the vase. That way you can just slip your bouquet into a vase filled with water. And place it in the most visible spot.

Tip: Strip the Bottom Leaves

It’s a good idea to carefully strip the leaves off the parts of the stems that will be in water. Prevents that swampy smell from your vase.

Immediately bring your bouquet inside and put into your water filled vase.

Daylilies and Hydrangea picked from my back garden. It’s a good way to enjoy flowers that last only a day!

Pick Your Vase before you Head Outside

It’s helpful to know how tall it is before you go outside to cut. Measure using your hand. Literally, put your hand next to your vase. That way you’ll have a physical and visual reference .

Enjoy the Abundance of Your Garden

Fresh flowers in my kitchen cheer me up multiple times a day. I encourage you to enjoy your garden inside and outside.

Tip: Hydrangeas and other Woody Flowers

1) Strip the leaves from the stem.

2) Smash or make a cut shaped liked a “cross “into the stem base just before putting into your water filled vase. That allows the water to be drawn up the stem to the flower.