Mother’s Day is coming up – a holiday where you can show Mom just how thankful you are for all she does. With the help of good behavior, a personalized gift, and our favorite and most timeless option, a bouquet of her favorite flowers, it’s the perfect way to show her just how appreciated she is.
To create your own personalized bouquet, there are a few approaches you can take. And they're super-easy! Best of all, each arrangement can be made in hundreds of combinations.
To make your own Mother’s Day arrangement, start by picking out the perfect set of flowers. We chose pink peonies and white hydrangeas for an extra “Mom” look. Though any flower combination will work – choose tinted roses, black roses, daisies, sunflowers– or whatever other flowers the Mom in your life prefers.
Before you begin, trim the leaves and stems. Not all leaves have to be removed, especially if you want to include greenery. However, leaves from the bottom portion of the stem should be taken off, leaving only smaller greens up top.
Now it’s time to determine what type of arrangement you want to take on. We opted for a few variations that included fun accessories and add-ons.
You’ll need rubber bands and a container of choice. We used a mug , though any vase, glass (like a Mason jar) or ceramic container will work just as well. Now, trim flowers to an appropriate height. Some should be slightly taller to add variation in the finished arrangement.
Now, take flowers – three or four at a time – and fasten their stems together with a rubber band. We used blue so it was easily visible, but a green band will blend in. Or, if you’re using a container that isn’t glass, it will be hidden.
Continue this until you have a full arrangement. Stems can easily be moved and secured as needed – a process that creates an arrangement thick with blooms. Ideal for eliminating blank spaces, and still creating a polished, professional feel.
For this version, we chose a glass pitcher to show off taller flowers. A larger vase or any see-through container will work equally well. Take limes (or lemons or oranges) and cut into thin slices, about 1/8th of an inch thick.
Now, lay the container on its side and start placing your fruit. Start at the bottom and stack toward the top. When you get far enough that it’s time to turn, only fill until gravity starts to take over.
Now it’s time to start placing flowers to hold your fruit in place. Longer and shorter varieties will provide the best eye movement for this large arrangement.
If you have the patience to completely prop with flowers, great. You can also cheat and use floral rocks or ice to hold everything together. Bonus, the ice will eventually melt, if you don’t want it seen later in the day. By then the fruit will be in place on its own, held together by flowers and water. Just be sure and wipe away excess condensation.
If flower arranging just isn’t your thing, this is the arrangement for you. Pick up a short bowl and get to work. And by “work” we mean filling it with water! Flowers can then be trimmed very short – until stems are 3-4 inches long – and plopped inside. You can put in multiples for an overflowing look, or just a few for a more simplistic look. (For added staying power use floral foam.) However, before finishing up, be sure that even your shortest stem hits water.
Now it’s time to move onto something especially unique: using veggies as décor. An arrangement where the outside is just as pretty as the in. For our version, we found a plastic container that was about 6 inches tall. This can be done with any shape or size, just keep in mind that larger models will require more work.
Next, we held the asparagus up to the container and trimmed for height – you want the veggies to be taller than the vase, but not so tall that they interfere with your flowers. Then, place a rubber band around the container, and start sliding in the asparagus. Push them tightly together to eliminate space or gaps until your arrangement is completely surrounded. (Greenery substitutes would certainly work, too. Opt for something that has a similar width throughout.)
Now, start placing your flowers. Use the rubber band trick to get them to stay where you like (this time there’s no need to worry about hiding it), or fill until desired.
Finally, we added braided yarn to cover the outer rubber band, to create a more polished look. If you use a fun-colored rubber band, feel free to skip. You can also use twine, ribbon, or any other decorative feature. If you don’t intend to reuse the vase, you can also glue on your asparagus; bring along a fan for a quick drying time.
For a unique – and extra special – way to give the Mother in your life flowers this year, consider a self-made arrangement. It’s an easy way to show her you care – and comes with seriously gorgeous results.
Text by: Bethaney Wallace, Flower Explosion Contributor
Photos by: Megan Thornton of Demiurge Photography, Flower Explosion Contributor
To create your own personalized bouquet, there are a few approaches you can take. And they're super-easy! Best of all, each arrangement can be made in hundreds of combinations.
To make your own Mother’s Day arrangement, start by picking out the perfect set of flowers. We chose pink peonies and white hydrangeas for an extra “Mom” look. Though any flower combination will work – choose tinted roses, black roses, daisies, sunflowers– or whatever other flowers the Mom in your life prefers.
Before you begin, trim the leaves and stems. Not all leaves have to be removed, especially if you want to include greenery. However, leaves from the bottom portion of the stem should be taken off, leaving only smaller greens up top.
Now it’s time to determine what type of arrangement you want to take on. We opted for a few variations that included fun accessories and add-ons.
Arrangement #1: A simple bouquet
You’ll need rubber bands and a container of choice. We used a mug , though any vase, glass (like a Mason jar) or ceramic container will work just as well. Now, trim flowers to an appropriate height. Some should be slightly taller to add variation in the finished arrangement.
Now, take flowers – three or four at a time – and fasten their stems together with a rubber band. We used blue so it was easily visible, but a green band will blend in. Or, if you’re using a container that isn’t glass, it will be hidden.
Continue this until you have a full arrangement. Stems can easily be moved and secured as needed – a process that creates an arrangement thick with blooms. Ideal for eliminating blank spaces, and still creating a polished, professional feel.
Arrangement #2: Pitcher perfect
For this version, we chose a glass pitcher to show off taller flowers. A larger vase or any see-through container will work equally well. Take limes (or lemons or oranges) and cut into thin slices, about 1/8th of an inch thick.
Now, lay the container on its side and start placing your fruit. Start at the bottom and stack toward the top. When you get far enough that it’s time to turn, only fill until gravity starts to take over.
Now it’s time to start placing flowers to hold your fruit in place. Longer and shorter varieties will provide the best eye movement for this large arrangement.
If you have the patience to completely prop with flowers, great. You can also cheat and use floral rocks or ice to hold everything together. Bonus, the ice will eventually melt, if you don’t want it seen later in the day. By then the fruit will be in place on its own, held together by flowers and water. Just be sure and wipe away excess condensation.
Arrangement #3: Short and stout
If flower arranging just isn’t your thing, this is the arrangement for you. Pick up a short bowl and get to work. And by “work” we mean filling it with water! Flowers can then be trimmed very short – until stems are 3-4 inches long – and plopped inside. You can put in multiples for an overflowing look, or just a few for a more simplistic look. (For added staying power use floral foam.) However, before finishing up, be sure that even your shortest stem hits water.
Arrangement #4: Asparagus Vase
Now it’s time to move onto something especially unique: using veggies as décor. An arrangement where the outside is just as pretty as the in. For our version, we found a plastic container that was about 6 inches tall. This can be done with any shape or size, just keep in mind that larger models will require more work.
Next, we held the asparagus up to the container and trimmed for height – you want the veggies to be taller than the vase, but not so tall that they interfere with your flowers. Then, place a rubber band around the container, and start sliding in the asparagus. Push them tightly together to eliminate space or gaps until your arrangement is completely surrounded. (Greenery substitutes would certainly work, too. Opt for something that has a similar width throughout.)
Now, start placing your flowers. Use the rubber band trick to get them to stay where you like (this time there’s no need to worry about hiding it), or fill until desired.
Finally, we added braided yarn to cover the outer rubber band, to create a more polished look. If you use a fun-colored rubber band, feel free to skip. You can also use twine, ribbon, or any other decorative feature. If you don’t intend to reuse the vase, you can also glue on your asparagus; bring along a fan for a quick drying time.
For a unique – and extra special – way to give the Mother in your life flowers this year, consider a self-made arrangement. It’s an easy way to show her you care – and comes with seriously gorgeous results.
Text by: Bethaney Wallace, Flower Explosion Contributor
Photos by: Megan Thornton of Demiurge Photography, Flower Explosion Contributor
