Arranging your dried and preserved flowers doesn't have to be daunting and neither should they just get plonked into a vase. But before we get started the most important thing to remember is have fun and enjoy taking a moment away from your day to day! So let's get styling....

Here at AP we champion your creativity so whilst we arrange in a certain ways and use certain design 'principles,' this doesn't mean you have to use them! Embrace the challenge and enjoy yourself. It's a bit of "me" time remember.

Tools & Vessels

Some basic tools are likely needed before you start. A sharp pair of scissors or secateurs will always come in handy. If you are planning on tying your arrangement once it's ready, you'll need some twine (or ric rac if you are lucky enough to have received one of our arrangements).

A key starting question to ask is what is your lovely bouquet going to live in? Is it tall, short, wide neck, slim neck? And so on. This could affect how you arrange your blooms.

Understanding Flower 'Types'

Now this isn't gospel and open to interpretation but generally speaking, our dried and preserved flowers fall into the following flower categories:

• Foliage: these are the larger flowers, normally hiding towards the back of the bouquet. They can be leafy (eucalyptus) or grassy (reed grass & miscanthus).
• Highlights and fillers: these add the accents of colour and drama to the bouquet. Think lagurus bunny tails, craspedia, piumetta or stipa grass.
• Star of the show: as the name suggest this is the main event. Think preserved hydrangeas, protea, pampas grass or palm spears.

 Basic Arrangement Principles

Here at AP Towers we like to arrange our dried and preserved flowers bold and striking, you don't need to get caught up on your arrangement being symmetrical - it's all about creating heights and layers. After creating many, many arrangements here are our top tips;  

• First lay out your flowers in front of you keeping each flower type together in groups; 
• Start with the foliage, creating your first layer at the back but if you can, save a few for later to dress the front; 
• Next add some of the filler flowers such as gypsophila or rice flower to create a bit of body;
• Add taller singular stems such as craspedia and bunny tails and dot them around at different heights;
• Arrange in a crossover fashion, ensuring the heads of the flower are positioned how you like. Place smaller flowers such as glixia or marcela at the front and pull them shorter to create depth; 
• Then start to add your stars of the show and highlight flowers such as preserved hydrangeas at the front of the style;
• Finally add in those extra pieces of foliage around the front and sides;
• Tie your arrangement using the ric rac and trim the stems to fit the vase. 

The majority of our dried and preserved flower bunches that we put together in our styling have been tied using the ric rac, included in every delivery. This means the arrangement sits securely in the vase. However we also love the looser look of stems untied in a vase, which works great for an arrangement that is viewed from all angles; simply apply the same principles as above. 

Fit to Vase

And you're done! It's worth remembering that because your beautiful flower bouquet is dried and preserved instead of fresh, you can tweak, redo and redesign your arrangement to your hearts content.

#howdoyouarrangeyours

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