Hackney-based florists, Katie and Terri, first started their creative floral design studio back in 2016. What originally began as a ‘book and bunch’ delivery service very quickly grew into something much bigger. They now design creative floral displays for events, weddings and shows… you name it, they’ve done it.

Inspired by their love of wild flowers, having grown up in rural Ireland surrounded by them, the talented duo have written a step-by-step guide for us on how we can recreate the magic of these show-stopping displays in our own homes.

Step 1: Source your flowers.
Our first thoughts are always with seasonality and sustainability. It’s nice to buy flowers from local growers but if that’s not easy, try to find out where your flowers are from. A lot of supermarket flowers might be flown in from around the world, but your local florist might stock locally grown flowers. Or even better go and have a forage and pick some yourself.
Think about where the arrangement will be placed and how it will be viewed; for example if it is being placed on a fireplace you can make it front facing, or if it will be in the middle of a dinner table it will need to look good from all angles.

Step 2: Choose your vase.
Any vessel that will hold water will be good enough to make an arrangement in. You would be surprised what kind of height you can get from even a small vessel, like the Falcon Mini Tumblers or 12cm Bowls. In this instance, use a square of chicken wire which will need to be made into a globe shape and placed into the Tumbler. Tape once across at the top of the bowl with florist pot tape (a thin strip of gaffer tape will work for this). This will create an inner grid for the flowers so that you can create a nice shape and they won’t all fall to one side.
You will need a pair of sharp floristry scissors. Be sure to condition all flowers before putting them into water, by removing any leaves that will be below water level and snipping the bottoms of all stems diagonally so they get a good drink of water once they have been placed in the Tumbler.

Step 3: Choose your flowers.
We love British wildflowers for their wayward stems and the way they create flow in an arrangement. We particularly like cosmos for form and peonies and dahlias for impact, depending on what’s in season.
It’s nice to have different textures and contrasting colours. Think about where the arrangement is going to be placed and how it’s going to compliment it’s surroundings. Flowers with woody stems tend to last longer than weaker stems but of course there are always exceptions. Clashing colours like baby pink and bright red can work beautifully for flower arrangements.

Step 4: Be creative.
If we are making arrangements for a dinner party we always try to find out what’s on the menu to compliment the florals to the food. You can get creative by using a beautiful radicchio as foliage or just placing some kumquats or other bright in-season fruit around the base of the bowl to make the display more interesting, almost like a still life. It always becomes a talking point throughout the dinner.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR FLOWERS LAST LONGER
Thoroughly conditioning flowers is extremely important for longevity.
If you have a little flower food, pop that in the vase. Otherwise, a tiny drop of bleach or a quarter of an aspirin pill in the water kills any bacteria that might start to form.
Taking out any individual flowers that die along the way and changing the water regularly will also help your arrangements to last that bit longer.