Fall Flowers- Sunflower Arrangement

It’s now starting to feel a bit more like fall huh?! We just love it! The leaves are starting to fall, the mornings are getting a little colder, and the flowers are in full fall mode! Yaasss! On our fall to-do list, we are looking to fall in love with sunflowers all over again. Sunflowers were so hip in the 90’s. And they are back! Please tell me I wasn’t the only one with the black felt hat with a giant sunflower on it? Raise your hand; you know who you are!! Hee Hee! We enlisted our very good friend, Jennifer from Busy Bee Florals to show us how to create the perfect fall sunflower arrangement. This lady makes it look so easy! Let’s get to it! Jennifer take it over lady…

Photos by Yasmin Sarai

Step 1 – Pick your flowers! I let my trip to the flower market inspire what the look and feel of the arrangement will be. I like to use seasonal flowers grown by local farmers in the area for the best results.

Step 2 – Proper preparation makes flowers last much longer

Prep the flowers by cutting off the bottom half of the leaves on each stem of all the flowers. Removing the leaves before placing flowers in water decreases the chance of getting harmful bacteria. Bacteria will significantly reduce the lifespan of your flowers. I also made sure to cut the bottoms of each stem at an angle to allow the flower to drink more water.

Step 3 – Don’t underestimate the important of the vase

You will need to choose a vase based on the types of flowers you will be using. The vase is an important part of the overall aesthetic of the arrangement. For this particular arrangement, I like the brown color with touches of copper because it is a nice contrast with the yellow sunflowers and orange kumquats. The look of this vase lends itself to the natural look that I was going for.

Step 4 – Use a floral pin

To stabilize the flowers in the vase, I use a floral pin which stays at the bottom of the vase. To keep the floral pin from moving around in the vase, I use floral clay on the bottom of the pin. The clay will keep the pin in place even though it’s submerged in the water. Floral pins keep your arrangements in place and are much better for the environment than floral foam.

Step 5 – Add Greenery…we are getting close!

I start by placing the greenery in the vase to build a base for the arrangement. I use a mix of kumquats that have very leafy branches. The abundance of leaves helps fill in the empty spots in the arrangement. Next, I use a deep purple bushy berry which filled in the other side of my arrangement. It also hangs very low on one side of the vase to give a more natural and wild look. The purple in the berries was a nice contrast with the orange kumquats and yellow and white flowers.

Step 6 – Add Flowers to bring to life

Add the flowers! This is when the arrangement really starts coming to life. First I begin by using the yellow sunflowers since they are the focal point of the arrangement. I chose the larger Teddy Bear sunflower because it has lots of texture and really makes a statement. I love the classic sunflower but favor the smaller size with a yellow center. I then began adding the Patience garden roses and the white mums to fill in the empty spaces.

Step 7 – Make sure there are no holes

Fill in the holes. Make sure each of the flowers are represented throughout the arrangements and have a nice flow throughout. Too many of one flower will over power the arrangement. To finish, I always like to add more greenery and fill in the empty spots.