How to Make a Hand-Tied Flower Arrangement in 5 Easy Steps

August 7, 2015 · by · in Cut Flowers, Inspiration, Summer Blooming Flowers

hand tied flower arrangement

One of the best things about having a flower garden is being able to share the riches. Everyone loves getting flowers, and it’s extra special when they come from your own garden.

Hand-tied arrangements like the one above are an easy and impressive way to share your homegrown flowers. They’re perfect for hostess gifts and birthday parties, and so nice to send home with guests. It only takes 5 or 10 minutes to make one, and I’ll show you just how easy it is. 

 

stem length for bouquet

1. Stem length. For a small, hand-tied bouquet, you want the overall length of the stems (including flowers) to be 8 to 10″. As you cut each stem, strip off the foliage from the bottom few inches.

 

how to hold a hand tied arrangement

2. Holding. Keep the bouquet in your non-dominant hand, holding it gently but firmly between thumb and forefingers. Grasp the stems about 2/3 of the way down. This is where you’ll eventually tie the stems together, so it’s important to establish and maintain this “binding point”. It’s fine if the bottoms of the stems splay out a bit.

 

how to assemble a flower arrangement

3. Turning. As you walk through your garden, continue cutting and adding new stems. As you do, give the bouquet a quarter turn. This will help distribute the flowers evenly and give you a nice blend of colors.

 

adding foliage to flower arrangement

4. Fillers. A few bits of foliage will help bring the colors together. Sprigs of herbs such as lavender, sage or rosemary are nice. You can also use small hosta leaves or most any other foliage.

 

tying a flower bouquet

5. Binding. Use floral tape, twine or a rubber band to secure the stems at the binding point. Don’t tie them too tightly. You want there to be some space between the blossoms. Suggest that the string or tape be cut before the flowers go into a vase, so the stems can spread out. Finally, snip off the bottom of the stems so they’re all the same length. Add a bit of ribbon if you like.

 

finished hand-tied arrangement

This bouquet includes two types of alliums, phlox, salvia and sea lavender. The more of these little arrangements you make, the easier it gets. Give it a try and I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results! To learn which flowers are fragrant as well as good for cutting, read Fragrant Flowers for Homegrown Bouquets.