Floral Design Lesson 2: Growing, Buying and Conditioning

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David Pippin

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Photo Credit: Lane Greer

Globe amaranth makes a great addition to a fresh or dried arrangement.

In my first article on floral design, we covered the importance of having the proper equipment in your toolbox. What we didn’t discuss is one of the most important “tools” needed in floral design – one that you can’t just leave in the closet, along with the clippers, wire and vase – the plants!

Whether you’re growing or buying your plant material for floral design, it’s important to know some basics. Use the following tips to help you as you begin your fantastic floral designs:

Growing

Some people just think “flowers” when they think “floral design” – but don’t forget the foliage! Grow plants for their great leaves, as well as their blooms, and strive to have a variety of textures, shapes and colors in the garden – and in the vase. Here are some of my favorites, both for blooms and for leaves:

Zinnias are bright, colorful and easy to grow from seed. These annuals come in a variety of flower sizes, heights and colors. I like the larger varieties that grow on taller stems because they have more stem length for designs. (The short varieties are attractive, but the stems are too short to make a very large floral piece.) With zinnias, the more you cut them in the garden, the more they bloom – and they’ll produce flowers until the last frost.

Globe amaranth is great for fresh flower arrangements and can be dried to use in long-lasting designs. These bushy annuals have cloverlike flowers that come in a variety of colors, including white, pink, peach and magenta.

Warnings

The flower buds of next summer’s hydrangeas are produced in late summer and fall, so be careful when harvesting flowers not to cut too many and spoil next year’s bloom.

Tips

Always recut purchased flower stems when you bring them home. (It’s likely that the cutflowers you buy from the florist have already been conditioned. But being out of water for just a few minutes can cause the base of stems to dry out and not take up water as easily.)

Definitions

Annual: A plant that completes its life cycle in one year or season.
Perennial: A hardy plant that sticks around season after season. (It typically lives three or more years.)

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Articles

Floral Design Lesson 3: Contemporary Design
You’ve got all the necessary tools. You’ve picked your plants. Now let’s get designing! In his third lesson in floral design, professional David Pippin shows how to create a contemporary arrangement, step by step.
Making the Cut
Want to make your cut flowers stay as fresh as possible? Use homemade solutions to get longer-lasting blooms.
Enjoying Cutflowers – In and Out of the Garden
From growing to arranging in vases, cutflowers can be enjoyed by everyone for seasons at a time. Here’s a look at a few cutflower favorites for the Northeast.

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