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Flower Arranging Made Hyper-Simple: Here’s the Plan
Flower Arranging Made Hyper-Simple: Here’s the Plan
Instagram star Freddie Garland shows you how to unlock your creative genius, using whatever is growing in your yard
By: Freddie Garland
One of the things I love most about arranging flowers is that you don't need to spend a fortune at a florist. Some of the most beautiful arrangements can come entirely from your own garden. In fact, when I'm creating something for my home, I often find that the most interesting ingredients aren't flowers at all.
First, get a flower frog
For this arrangement, I've used a kenzan, which allows for the sort of structural, artistic designs I love to create. A kenzan is a traditional Japanese flower frog: a heavy metal disc covered in pins that holds stems exactly where you want them. They emerged from the Japanese art of ikebana, where flower arranging is treated as a form of sculpture, with as much emphasis placed on line, space, and balance as on the flowers themselves.
The technique found its way west through influential arrangers such as Constance Spry, who championed more naturalistic designs and encouraged people to use unusual materials gathered from gardens and hedges. Today, kenzans are easy to find and surprisingly versatile. Mine came from an antiques market in London, but you can buy them almost anywhere. You don't need a huge one either. A 2-inch kenzan can hold a surprising number of stems.
Next, pick a vase
I've used a favorite stone bowl here, but almost any shallow vessel will work. I tend to avoid anything with steep, tall sides, as it becomes difficult to arrange material low down. A bowl with gently sloping sides gives much more freedom. The most important thing is that the base is flat so the kenzan can sit securely. I don't use putty to stick mine down. Instead, I rely on a heavy kenzan and good balance within the arrangement itself.
Now, select what to snip
At a headline level, what I'm trying to create is something structural, artistic, and asymmetrical. I want it to feel like a miniature garden rather than a bunch of flowers placed in a bowl.
- One of the most important principles is that all the stems should appear to grow from the same place.
- Another is that flower heads should generally face upwards, almost as though they're lifting their chin towards the sun.
- I also spend a lot of time looking at individual stems and understanding their natural shape before I place them. Every flower wants to move in a particular way, and the arrangement is always stronger when you work with that instinct rather than against it.
Prioritize structure
The first thing I look for when gathering material is something structural. Often that's a branch, a piece of foliage, or a stem with a particularly interesting shape. The shape of the first stem usually guides the direction of everything that follows.
In this arrangement, that role is played by fennel. I was immediately drawn to its strong stems and wonderfully winding silhouette. Those first stems establish the framework.
Once the structure is in place, I start introducing what I think of as "lines" and "dots." Line flowers create movement and height; dot flowers create moments of focus and rest. The fennel acts as my line. The garden spray roses become my dots.
Time to arrange
I positioned one rose low on the right-hand side to offset the fennel and begin creating a gentle S-shaped movement through the arrangement. Another sits on the opposite side, helping create balance without making the design feel symmetrical.
At this point, the arrangement starts to reveal itself.
Next came the cotinus, or smoke bush, which is one of my favorite garden plants to arrange with. Its airy burgundy plumes bring a completely different texture and soften the harder outlines of the structure. Texture is every bit as important as color. Without contrast, arrangements can feel flat.
A word about color
The color palette here is relatively restrained. The soft greens of hydrangea, Alchemilla (lady’s mantle), and fennel provide the foundation, while the cream roses add lightness. Against that, the smoke bush introduces rich burgundy tones, while the helenium and pink echinacea provide flashes of orange and pink. I often prefer this approach: a largely tonal arrangement with a few stronger color accents rather than every flower competing for attention.
From there, it's simply a matter of layering. Hydrangeas add volume. Echinacea contributes both flower and seed head forms. Mint introduces movement and scent. Alchemilla creates delicate clouds that help bring everything together.
Sidestep this rookie mistake
One mistake I see beginners make is relying entirely on flowers. The flowers end up carrying all the responsibility. Instead, I always encourage people to look for foliage, branches, seed heads, herbs and grasses. These elements provide structure, rhythm, and personality.
Finally, if you want your arrangement to last, do make sure to refresh the water regularly, and be sure to harvest stems during the cooler parts of the day whenever possible.
The wonderful thing about arranging from your garden is that every season offers different possibilities. The flowers may change, but the principles remain the same: Start with structure, embrace asymmetry, and let each stem tell you where it wants to go.
About the writer
Freddie Garland is a UK-based florist who can be found on Instagram at @freddiesflowers and @iamfreddiegarland, where hundreds of thousands of followers share in his creativity.