Creating a floral arrangement is one of those things that looks much easier than it actually is. It seems as simple as placing a few flowers into a vase, but in reality, there’s an art to it — you have to consider everything from the vase itself to the exact length and angle at which…
How To Cut Stems To Fit Any Vase
As much as we’d love to have a vast collection of vases, most of us rotate through a trusty few. If that’s the case for you, this handy trick will save you a lot of guesswork.
To cut stems for a perfect fit in almost any vase, use the golden ratio: Ideally, your arrangement should be about 1.5 to 2 times the height of the vase. The stems should be long enough to reach the water and tall enough for the blooms to sit above the rim. If they’re over that sweet spot, it’s time to break out the shears. For example, if you have a 7-inch-tall vase, you would multiply that height by 1.5 to get 10.5 inches — or by 2 to get 14 inches. So, the length of your stems should be roughly 11 to 14 inches for a vase of this size.
While you could pull out a ruler, most florists simply eyeball it. Hold each stem against the outside of the vase so the base of the flower head sits about half a vase-length above the rim. This places the bottom of the bloom at about 1.5 times the vase height, with the petals extending slightly beyond that line.
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Don’t just cut straight across the stem and call it a day. Instead, use sharp shears to trim each one at a 45-degree angle. This allows for better water absorption, making sure your bouquet stays hydrated. Next, remove any leaves that fall below the waterline to prevent bacterial growth. Once the stems are cut to the perfect length and angle, you can begin designing an arrangement that looks like it came straight from the florist.
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