ways to arrange flower baskets
Ways to Arrange Flower Baskets
Thinking of gifting your girlfriend a flower basket? Have you considered making one on your own? It is not so difficult. Learn about the different ways to arrange a flower basket in this article.
Each flower is a soul blossoming out to nature.
- Gerard De Nerval
Ah! Such a lovely thought, isn't it? A soul blossoming out of nature. That is the imagery I have always had in mind while growing. Flowers do seem to be a glimpse into the soul of nature. A garden in full bloom is such a beautiful sight! I would never leave it, not for one moment. Since times immemorial flowers have held our admiration. I am yet to meet a person who does not feel happy when he/she looks at a big bunch of fresh flowers! The colors, fragrances, structures, delicateness of flowers have all inspired many authors and poets. Remember William Wordsworth's Daffodils? "A poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company"... how true! Happiness, love, wealth, prosperity, beauty have all been associated with flowers, and what could be a better gift for a nature lover than a basket of colorful flowers?
Flower baskets can be dubbed as basket bouquets. The same guidelines apply to making an attractive flower basket as do to making a beautiful flower bouquet. Flower baskets however, give the opportunity to play around a lot more with the dynamics of flower arrangement than bouquets give. However, many people are still daunted by the task of arranging a flower basket! As Alan Bennett very rightly said, If you think squash is a competitive activity, try flower arranging. However, I am here to try to and succeed at convincing you otherwise! Here is a 5-point guideline to arranging a flower basket.
Elements
Folly: A flower basket should contain only flowers.
Fact: No way! Use leaves, twigs, everything!
If you are new to making flower baskets, you might tend to think that a flower basket should contain only and only flowers. This is not true! A lot of things can go into making a flower basket. You can use twigs, branches, leaves, grasses, ferns and all sorts of things. Dried flowers, if chosen wisely, can also look nice in a fresh flower basket. One of the best examples of a flower arrangement style that makes use of all these plant parts is the Japanese flower arrangement style called 'Ikebana'. If you haven't seen an Ikebana flower arrangement before, Google pronto! If you have, have you noticed how the Japanese have found a way to use all the above elements and make a beautiful arrangement? You can take inspiration from Ikebana and work on your flower basket with different elements.
Try This: For a hanging flower basket arrangement, you can make use of vines and creepers. They can be arranged in such a way that they 'fall down' from the edges of the basket. Looks really pretty!
Color Scheme
Folly: Flowers of all different colors can go into a single flower basket.
Fact: Color coordinated flowers look the best when placed together in a basket
Yes it is a flower basket; and a basket means lots of flowers. But that does not mean you simply dump all the flowers you can lay your hands on! While selecting flowers for your flower basket, try to work up a color scheme and then proceed to design your flower basket. There are many different color schemes you can work up for a flower basket. You can design a flower basket with all pale-colored flowers. You may even make a flower basket using all warm-colored flowers (i.e. red, orange, yellow, etc.). Another idea could be to pick flowers that are of the same color or in lighter and darker shades of that color. Finally, color pairs like red and orange, or pink and pale yellow, etc. look really pretty too!
Try This: If you plan to keep the flower basket in a particular room, try to pick flowers of such a color that they go well with the overall color scheme of the room, including the color of the walls, furniture, drapes, etc.
Flowers
Folly: Big flowers, small flowers, all look good together.
Fact: A flower basket should not look haphazard - so pick the flowers carefully.
Which flowers are you going to put into the flower basket? There can be several considerations to bear in mind while making your choice. If the flowers going into a flower basket are all big, the basket is going to look clumsy. If all the flowers are small, the basket is going to look cluttered. Maintain a balance between the big and small flowers. At the same time, if you are going to include an inflorescence in the basket as well, then do not include too many of them. A single inflorescence is enough; at the most use two - too many of them will make the basket look crowded. Also go for an inflorescence of small flowers. It adds to the 'delicate and dainty' element of the basket.
Try This: Sketch a flower basket with the flowers you have in mind. You may even cut out pictures of flowers you plan to use and make a collage. Finally, use Photoshop and prepare a virtual flower basket. Get the feel of it. Does it look good? Then go ahead!
Pattern and Geometry
Folly: Freestyle looks the best.
Fact: Patterns and a fixed geometry can add to the visual appeal of a flower basket.
If you can incorporate a pattern or a fixed geometry in your flower basket, it will definitely add to the visual appeal. Agreed, that sometimes freestyle looks the best. But even in a flower basket arranged without a set pattern, a ring of small flowers lining the basket, or a big dahlia or gerbera flower in the center of the arrangement add the necessary uniformity to a basket and makes it look pretty. Here are some pattern ideas you can explore: if you are using all flowers of a single color or light and dark shades of the color, arrange them such that there is a graded appearance to the basket. If you plan on using flowers of two colors, try to alternate them. You can even pick certain flowers in a uniform arrangement to be of a single color such that they highlight a letter, or a shape. For example, a heart of red roses amidst a bunch of white-colored roses can be a pretty sight!
Try This: Play with the height of the flowers you are going to include in the flower basket. You can create a 3D pattern by using cut flowers of different heights. Play with the color, and the effect can be enhanced (dark-colored flowers can be short to add depth, tall ones can be light-colored).
Olfactory Factor
Folly: The flower basket as a whole is bound to smell good with all those flowers in it!
Fact: Some fragrances do not go well together. Choose wisely.
All flowers do not have a very nice fragrance. Some have too strong a fragrance for it to be pleasant. Some totally lack fragrance. What to do? Choose flowers that smell good together when put into a single basket. If there is a particular flower you plan to use that has an exceptionally good and strong smell, the rest of the flowers you select need not necessarily have a good fragrance. Research on different indoor flowers that smell good and see if you can include them in your flower basket. Also if you plan to gift the flower basket, find out if your friend is allergic to any flowers. You don't want your friend sneezing every five minutes on receiving the basket! Also if all the flowers in your basket have a strong fragrance, they will give everyone in the room a headache! Choose with care.
Try This: If none of the flowers you have selected smell good, you can spray some mild scent or perfume on the flower basket. It will make the basket, as well as the room, smell good. How nice it feels to walk into a room that smells so good!
As you must have realized, there are many ways to arrange a flower basket, and many things you need to consider when you do. But remember one important thing - it is an art, and not a science. There is no one 'correct' way to arrange a flower basket. Go by the look and feel of it, and don't shy away from experimenting!