Do It Yourself: Grocery Store Flower Arrangement

Read time: 3 minutes

Scissors with Flowers and Tape on a Cutting Board

What you’ll need

Two or three grocery store bouquets
Greenery and/or twigs (can be from your yard)
Garden shears
Scissors
Clear tape
Vase or container

Water and plant food

Fill your vase with tepid water about 3/4 full. The water will rise as you add flowers. Then, stir in one packet of the plant food provided with your bouquet.

Choose your flowers

Hold your bouquets together next to your vase to decide which individual stems look best together. You do not need to use every single flower.

Tape being but in a grid on the opening of a vase

Tape a grid

Using clear tape, create a 3x3 grid on the top of your vase. This will help keep your flowers upright where you want them. You can trim the edges of the tape with scissors for a cleaner look.

Cutting Flower Stem at an Angle with Gardening Shears

Flower Stem Being Held Showing the Stem Cut at an Angle

Clean and cut stems

Clean the leaves from your stems. If left on, they will create bacteria in the water. Then, hold each stem up to your vase to determine the length you want. Cut the stems at a 45° angle with a pair of garden shears. Cutting at an angle keeps the flowers fresh longer.

Build your center

Pick the “star” of your arrangement. Choose one or a few statement flowers you want to be the center of attention.

Fill in

Stem by stem, fill in the rest of the flowers. Look for balance of color, shape and height. You don’t have to match the sides equally, they just need to complement the arrangement as a whole when it comes together.

Woman Adding Greenery to a Vase of Flowers

Add greenery

Place greenery in the spots that feel empty. You can use twigs, boxwood, fern, eucalyptus or whatever you find in your backyard or grocery store.

Vase Filled with Flowers Sitting on a Table

Tips for a long-lasting bouquet

Refresh your water every day. It may only need to be topped off, but if the water is looking murky, add fresh new tepid water and a packet of plant food.
Prune your bouquet as needed. Remove dead leaves and flowers to keep them from spreading bacteria to the other flowers.

There you have it! We hope your beautiful new arrangement brings you joy each day.