The summer season is the time of vacations.  For those who plan to spend their leisure time at home, bouquets of summer flowers around the house make the days seem special.  For those who expect vacationing visitors, fresh flowers in the foyer and guest room extend a joyous welcome. 

Arranging Summer Flowers

            One way to enjoy having flowers in your home every week--and stay within your budget--is to buy them in loose bunches and arrange them yourself.  Or if you are a gardener, you may have some flowers right in your own backyard that would be excellent as a cut flower.  Many of the common perennials work wonderfully as cut flowers and they often have remarkably long vase life.  Some perennials for cutting include;

Aquilegia (Columbine), Aster, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Digitalis (Foxglove), Gypsophila (Baby's-breath), Heuchera (Coral Bells), Iris, Lilies, Peony, Phlox, Rudbeckia, Salvia, Soldiago (Goldenrod), and Veronica. 

                        A beautiful arrangement of flowers needs plenty of water, especially in the summertime.  When you receive a lovely gift arrangement, immediately fill the container to the brim.  As for cut flowers which you'll arrange yourself, it's vitally important to get them into a pail of deep water right away.  When you arrange the blooms, their container should be partially full of water, then filled to the brim when design is complete.  The soft type of foliage, characteristic of many summer flowers, tends to decay in water and create bacterial growth with marked rapidity.  That's why you should strip all stems if foliage which will be submerged.  A commercial flower food, stirred into the water helps to increase the life span of cut flowers.  Since hot, dry weather speeds evaporation, it's a good idea to check water supply in flower containers several times daily, adding more when necessary.  Follow these tips and your bouquets will repay you with additional days of radiant beauty.

            Here are some professional guidelines to flower designing:

            Begin working with an overall design in mind.  The shape of the container and the shapes of the flowers influence the shape of the overall arrangement.  For example, a teapot befits a round, full arrangement, and a tall vase that is wide at the top calls for a triangular shape.

            The guesswork regarding size is eliminated if you accept the general rule that flowers should be at least one and one-half times the height of the container.

            When you begin arranging, place the tallest flower first, then fill in with the decorative foliage and smaller flowers. 

            All flower arrangements must have a focal point.  Professional florists usually make it toward the bottom half of the arrangement.  The eye is drawn to the focal point by flowers that are large, bright, and darker in tone.

            Finally, watch your colors.  Be critical of the color combinations that please the eye.  The colors you choose, naturally, depend on your preferences and the tones of your decor.  But whichever color combinations you select, they should be balanced-- one-third bold colors to two-thirds subdued.  And remember, more than four colors in a design can look chaotic.

            There are some tools that can help you arrange flowers quickly and effectively.  One is a short sharp knife used for cutting stems and stripping foliage.  Another is floral foam, a foam-like block into which you insert flower stems to hold them in place.

            It also helps to have several containers on hand--small ones, large ones, casual and formal vases.  Experiment with different containers around your home.  Sometimes an old glass jar or unused pitcher make the prettiest containers for summer flowers!