My $20 Trader Joes Flower Challenge
“Rose Gold Crescent”
You got this! Home arranging is totally doable.
Trader Joe’s always has a great selection of flowers at an excellent price so it’s easy to pick up a few things and play around. None of the flowers used in this design are terribly unique so even if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, your local grocery store will certainly have something similar.
A confession: I cheated slightly and technically spent more than $20 on the flowers for this arrangement ($25.50 to be exact). I sneakily made a second arrangement with the extras, so technically I’m still under 20 bucks total for what you see above. I apologize for any emotional distress this has caused. Send me the bill!
The Recipe:
3 white hydrangea
4-5 stems white stock flower
5-6 stems pink ranunculus
1 mini mixed bouquet - mine had 2 white spider mums, 2 stems of pink spray roses, and a few pink asters
1 bunch daffodils
½ bunch beplurum (any greenery will do!)
Because of the dramatic shape of the design, I chose a vase with a little height, about 10”. I also chose it for its complementary “v” shape which mimics the shape of flowers in the design.
Start by removing all the plastic and packaging from your flowers. Remove any damaged flowers and strip all foliage that would fall below the water line of the container.Give all the flowers a fresh cut on an angle with a knife or scissors and place into fresh water in a separate bucket or vase.
Use floral tape* (available at all craft stores) and create a grid on the top of your container. Tape around the circumference of the container to secure the grid and trim all the “tails” for a clean finish. Fill container with water mixed with flower food.
*floral tape is great, but if you don’t have it you can still achieve this look. The hydrangea make their own natural grid, you just have to do a little more fussing.
Insert the three hydrangeas in a triangular pattern. Varying the heights slightly, with the tallest in the back and shortest closest to you. I cut the shortest stem so the blossom hangs just over the lip of the container, covering the floral tape.
Place stock flower next, start with two on each side. To avoid the “devil horns” look, vary the tallest on each side by about ½-1”. Be sure your stock is curving in as these flowers will create the framework for your crescent “c” shape. A good rule of thumb is to cut the stems 1.5 - 2x the height of your container. For this design, my tallest stock is about 2x the container.
Fill in your “c” shape with the ranunculus. Place smaller buds higher and larger blooms closer to the center. Use some of your filler flowers close to the center to fill in the gaps between the hydrangea. You can also place some of the blooms inside the hydrangea (as I did with the spider mums and daffodils) to break up the large concentrations of these flowers.
Use the beplurum to fill in any remaining gaps particularly around the base of the container where you want to hide the tape line.
I can't wait to see your results! Send me a pic of your design and you might be featured in our next newsletter.
XO
Kate
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