One of the fun things about floral design is you don’t just have endless plant-material options – you can play around with your container of choice, too. Vases are nice standbys, but don’t forget baskets! These make great attractive floral containers (and nice gifts, too). What’s more, a lot of people have baskets decorating their homes already. Why not fill them with colorful blooms and foliage instead of magazines and the kids’ toys? Here’s how:

Garden Basket - Step 1

Garden Basket - Step 1

Secure a 2/3-block of wet floral foam in a watertight container with waterproof floral tape. Since the watertight container won’t be seen in your basket, wrap the tape around the container well, so the foam will be secure. Place the container in a basket that’s approximately the same size.
Photo Credit: David Pippin
Garden Basket - Step 2

Garden Basket - Step 2

As with all arrangements, establish the height, width and depth first. In this particular arrangement, I’ve established the height with the flower buds from garlic, and the width and depth have been established with Aucuba and Nandina. If you don’t have garlic flower buds, use some twigs from the garden. (Forsythia and maple work particularly well in the spring.) Other foliage types work, too. Experiment! And don’t forget to condition them before designing. (Remember Lesson 2?)
Photo Credit: David Pippin
Garden Basket - Step 3

Garden Basket - Step 3

Fill in the rest of the foam with other foliage from plants like camellia, peony and Dusty Miller. Remember to stay within those height, width and depth lines.
Photo Credit: David Pippin
Garden Basket - Step 4

Garden Basket - Step 4

Insert your primary flowers. Here, I’ve used Asiatic lilies in the low, central part of the arrangement as a focal point. Then I used zinnias throughout the arrangement, all radiating from an imaginary center point in the floral foam. Large marigolds (Tagetes) or purple coneflower (Echinacea) could be used instead of zinnias, too. And if you don’t want a focal point, that’s okay – eliminate the stem of lilies and just add a few more zinnias.
Photo Credit: David Pippin

Garden Basket - Step 5

Garden Basket - Step 5

Add secondary flowers to your arrangement. I’ve used black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) here. Lisianthus or bee balm (Monarda) would also be good secondary flowers for this type of arrangement.
Photo Credit: David Pippin
Garden Basket - Step 6

Garden Basket - Step 6

Filler flowers like bishop’s weed (Ammi majus) and yarrow (Achillea) can be added, if desired. Goldenrod (Solidago) is also a good filler flower.
Photo Credit: David Pippin

And that’s all there is to it. Check your arrangement daily and add water as needed. Keep your arrangement in a cool location to increase its longevity, and just enjoy!