Flowers Enrich Us and Renew Our Hearts Design: The simplest and most appealing arrangements are made in the form of a triangle. One bud or flower in a vase or jar is completely enchanting and almost impossible to arrange incorrectly. The container should be less than half the height of the flower and stem. The triangle form should be soft and variable, or can even be completely round. These are some general rules, but make adjustments if stem height requires it. They just become a little harder to arrange in a pleasing, balanced arrangement. Basic Triangle Arranging: Very small flowers, twigs and grasses may be placed throughout the arrangement for accents and protrude out a little beyond the basic flower triangle shape. The small flowers should be at the top of the triangle on the longest stems. (They can also be included at medium height and the lowest level if there are multiple flowers on the stems - such as miniature carnations.) The largest flowers should be at the bottom level of the triangle on the shortest stems. Medium flowers should be mixed around the middle and bottom levels. To Trim: Lay the flower stems on a table, put the tallest stems and smallest flowers in the middle. Lay the other flowers on each side of the tallest stems. Trim the stems so that you can see a triangle shape on the table in front of you. When the flowers are placed in a vase, the stem height is already set for you. Allow enough stem length for the flowers to clear the top of the vase. The tall flower stems go in first in the middle of the vase, followed by the medium stems on the sides. The shortest stems go in last around the bottom. A couple pieces of baby's breath can fill in all the way through the arrangement so that you don't usually need to add ferns to fill in emply places. Arranging with Color: If all the flower stem lengths are equal, but the colors are different, lighter colors should go at the top and the middle. Darker colors should go at the bottom of the arrangement. If all the flowers are similiar in size, the colors should be distributed evenly through the arrangement, keeping the darker flowers predominantly on the bottom. If there are only two colors, they should be placed somewhat equally spaced through the arrangement. Arranging in Containers: The container should be visible as no more than half of the finished arrangement. Allow long enough stems to clear the top of the container. The top of the container should be tight enough to keep the flowers in a standing position, but not squished. Variations The shape of the flowers and the stems may allow some variations that will be very striking, feel free to experiment and enjoy your flowers. Drooping stems will add a graceful look to the arrangement, and they should be drooping over the sides of the container. Entertaining Flowers heads and floating candles may be placed in a bowl of water. Flower heads may be placed inside a clear bottle filled with water. Flower heads of daisies, chrysanthemums and carnations may be placed loosely around the table for a decorative accent. They will look pretty for several hours. Purchasing Flowers Many flowers last a long time and are relatively inexpensive. Carnations come in a wide variety of colors and shapes. They have a lovely fragance and will sometimes last two weeks or more. Buy them while there are still some buds on the stems which will continue to open. The miniature carnations are very inexpensive and easy to arrange. Daisies and chrysanthemums are long lasting also. Buy roses sparingly, they don't last very long and are often not fresh even though they are still in bud form. Babies breath will dry beautifully in an arrangement. Your Garden Ask your garden center salesman to help you pick flowers that will bloom at different times during the spring, summer and fall to allow you to have flowers most of the year. Plant something new in your garden every year. In a few years, you find a wealth of flowers in your back yard. Many bloom every year and many self-sow for years to come. Visit the nearby countryside to find wildflowers along the roadside. Many wildflowers will dry nicely and are considered weeds. You usually find them growing on neglected, unmowed farmland and may be picked without upsetting the property owners. If the property has been mowed, or if the flowers are in front of a residence, it would be better not to remove any flowers. Wildflowers growing on Federal and State Parklands are protected by law and should not be picked or collected. There are fines for removing them. Honeysuckle grows wild everywhere in the east and is very fragrant in the late spring. Roses start blooming in late spring all the way through killing frost in the fall. Roses are easy to dry and use for dried and silk flower arrangements. Hyrdrangeas start blooming in mid-summer through autumn. They ware easy to dry and can be used to make beautiful wreaths. Daisies start blooming along the roads in the east in the late spring and different varieties bloom until killing frost. Daisy chrysanthemums are available to purchase in early summer and will bloom until killing frost. Irises and peonies bloom in late spring. Annuals can be purchased and planted in late spring and will bloom until killing frost. Many of them that bloom freely do not have strong enough stems for arranging, but can be placed in a jar with a small opening and they can droop gracefully on a shelf. Annuals can be seeded right into your garden, check with a good seed catalog. African violets bloom year round and come in shades of purple, pink and white. They bloom the best when potbound and not allowed to go to seed. They cannot tolerate direct sunlight, so the shady side of the house is perfect for them. Zinnias bloom in late summer in a bright assortment of reds, pinks and golds on long straight stems. There are a variety of purple flowers that bloom in large quantities during the summer and fall along the roads in the east. They can be combined with daisy shaped flowers such as Black-eyed Susans, purple Coneflowers and wild daisies for a gorgeous long lasting arrangement. Read more about Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Attracting Birds and planting your garden - click on the butterfly photo. Catch a Falling-Star and make a wish at Falling-Star.com. Falling-Star.com is the exclusive home of Show-Stoppers Pro Color Design and Photographic Fine Art. E-mail: DAD.photo@att.net Phone: 301-233-3831 Catch a Falling Star... Falling-Star.com, over 1,000 Free Cards, Calendars and Stationery. Free samples of beautiful Fine Art Photographic Prints, handcrafted originals. For your convenience, an order form is available at the end of each page. Free Calendar Subscriptions, Flowers, Teddy Bears, Pandas, Greeting Cards for everyone and every occasion. Pictures for the whole family. 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