It’s no secret around here that flowers are one of my love languages. In fact, I purchase a small bouquet for myself for my office every week or two. And while grocery store flowers often get a bad rep, there’s no denying that they’re easier on the wallet. The problem? They’re not always the prettiest. But with a few secrets tips and arranging tricks, you have my word that they can look like a million bucks. Following is my advice on how to arrange grocery store flowers to wow even the biggest flower snob (*sheepishly raises hand*).

The Mixed Bouquet

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Choose your vase. The most important feature of the vase is the diameter of the neck. The wider the neck, the more spread out the flowers will look (and the more flowers you will need to fill it out). For a typical grocery store bouquet, I look for a fairly narrow necked vase- the best fit is usually one that’s smaller than you think it should be.

2) Remove all leaves on the stem except for the last few bits closest to the bloom (think about 10% remaining). Any leaves left below the water line of the vase will rot in the water and give it that cloudy, gunky look, as well as shorten the life of the flowers. I also find that too many leaves can make the arrangement look bushy instead just pleasantly filled out.

3) Trim the stems of the flowers. Aim for the flowers to be about 1.5x the height of the vase once cut. Cut on the diagonal with sharp scissors, ideally underwater so that air does not get into the stems.

4) Create a grid of clear tape across the top of the vase.

5) Start by adding a sprig or two of the greenery into the vase, then add your largest blooms. The eye will natural go to all the bigger, bolder shapes in the arrangement so use the big blooms to create a “path” for the eye to follow. Add in the secondary flowers to fill in around the larger blooms. You may want to make these slightly shorter than the large blooms. Finish by filling in any holes with the remaining greenery. Try to make sure you have some leaves or smaller accent flowers down low near the base of the arrangement to cover the tape and make the arrangement look full.

The Dozen Roses Bouquet

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Choose your vase. The most important feature of the vase is the diameter of the neck. The wider the neck, the more spread out the flowers will look (and the more flowers you will need to fill it out). For a dozen roses, I look for a fairly narrow necked vase- the best fit is usually one that’s smaller than you think it should be.

2) Remove all leaves on the stem except for the last few bits closest to the bloom. Any leaves left below the water line of the vase will rot in the water and give it that cloudy, gunky look, as well as shorten the life of the flowers.

3) Gently remove any dead, discolored, or damaged outer petals on the rose itself (you can just pluck them off by tugging at the base of the petal). These outer petals are called guard petals, and meant to be removed before the flowers are arranged.

4) Trim the stems of the roses. Aim for the rose to be about 1.5x the height of the vase once cut. Cut on the diagonal with sharp scissors, ideally underwater so that air does not get into the stems.

5) Create a grid of clear tape across the top of the vase.

6) Add the roses to the vase one by one, adjusting heights as necessary. Garnish with a few stems of your accessory green.

TIPS

•When purchasing roses, always check the freshness of the blooms by gently squeezing the base of the bloom. If it feels firm, the rose is fresh, and if it is soft or easily squished, the rose is on its last legs.
•An accent green makes a huge difference in how finished the final arrangement looks. It’s always worth spending an extra $5 on greens to fill out your roses in the vase.
•Most of the rose thorns will have been removed by the time you purchase them, but just to be safe, always pick up the rose just under the bloom where there are naturally fewer thorns.

Photography: Ruth Eileen Photography | Flowers: Whole Foods Market