Wild Blooms and Wobbly Bouquets: A Floral Makeover
Tips from a flower workshop by La Double J with award-winning garden designer Butter Wakefield
I’ve always preferred creating my own bouquets over grabbing a ready-made one. There’s something irresistible about bouquets that don’t look too neat or too perfect - like they’ve got a bit of a wild spirit.
That said, my bouquets can be hit or miss. Sometimes, they turn out stunning, even surprising me with how well they come together, considering my zero-method approach. Other times? Well, they look like they’re having an existential crisis - wobbly, weird and totally unfixable. It’s like once a bouquet decides to be odd, there is no turning back: no amount of tweaking can save it.
So when I was invited to a flower workshop by La Double J with award-winning garden designer Butter Wakefield, I jumped on the occasion.
Here’s what I’ve learnt…
1. Pick a mix of flower shapes
Mixing the types, shapes, sizes of flowers is the secret to creating a fuller, funkier bouquet. Stick to a specific colour scheme to keep things cohesive, but beyond that, go crazy!
2. Uneven numbers of flowers is always best
Uneven numbers is always best in terms of aesthetics, it will help keep things balanced. Don’t worry you need to be obsessive about it but it gives you a rule of thumb when you’re buying the star flowers of your bouquet.
3. The tape trick I wish I’ve always known
I had never come across this trick before, but now that I know it, there's no going back! As you can see in the picture, all it takes is a simple cross of tape on your vase. Then, just place the flowers in the four sections created by the tape, and voilà—they'll stay perfectly in place! Easy!
4. Always start with the foliage
Foliage is an essential part of your bouquet, it provides the structure and framework of the arrangement. It will also help you control the overall shape of the bouquet.
5. Tall flowers in the middle and taper down
This is a general rule which depends on the type of bouquet you are trying to achieve but always helps for beginners like me.
6. Keep the water clean and remove foliage on stems for a long-lasting bouquet
When making your bouquet and placing the flowers in your vase, make sure you remove leafs so that the water is not polluted. Change the water every 2 days which will keep your bouquet a lot longer.
Thank you La Double J, JJ Martin & Butter Wakefield for hosting us! And thank you
for bringing me as your date :)Keep it cosy until next time!
Love this, thanks for sharing !!