how to

The art of designing floral arrangements may seem simple. Just grab a bunch of flowers, put them in a vase and voila! You are a designer. To really master a profession, dedicate yourself to learning a profession well through preparation. Take classes, read articles and watch tutorials, or intern with a professional designer to learn the trade.

We found an excellent guide online published by the Baxter County Fair titled, “Principles of Floral Arrangement.” It was published in 2005, but it provides a great foundation for the theory of designing and composing arrangements. The guide is useful for interns learning how to arrange flowers professionally. The comprehensive guide explains everything from processing flowers to choosing the proper containers. It also provides an introduction to color harmonies to help designers select color schemes for floral arrangements. Patterns, textures, and sizes of floral varieties to create a harmonious design. For instance, using spring flowers with a winter flower would have a mixed expression of seasons.

Access the PDF Guide: Principles of Floral Arrangement

Expression through Floral Design (Principles of Floral Arrangement, Baxter County Fair, 2005)

Garden roses are quite delicate. With the proper care and handling you can maximize the vase life. Our partners at Alexandra Farms have provided a useful chart listing steps to process your garden roses upon receiving them.

It is important to remove the inner cardboard, but keep the plastic sleeve on to protect the flowers. Cut the garden roses and place them in flower food. For everyday floral arrangements, your garden roses are ready to use after a few hours of hydration. For event work and special occasions, you should hydrate the roses three to four hours in a cooler. Next, place them at room temperature–this is to achieve the desired bloom stage. Once you are content with the bloom, place them back in the cooler to preserve the roses until you are ready to design.

Visit our garden rose catalog to browse our garden rose varieties. We have a weekly supply of fresh cut garden roses, including the David Austin varieties. Contact our account managers for more information.

Processing Garden Roses