Wildflower laboratory, part II

It seems that outside of my dream florist, I'm luckily leaning towards pretty simple flower arrangements. My current plan is to scout out a wholesale florist in the Princeton area when I'm there for a week at the beginning of August to volunteer on an organic farm WWOOF for a week with my friend Amy. Then, perhaps try to collect containers between now and The Date from thrift stores and recycling bins (not sure where I will store these in the new, smaller apartment). If Mama G is in town some months before we'll maybe do a trial run and then I'll need to assign the flower duties to someone(s) to do the day before or day-of .

From design*sponge, a part II to a series I posted about previously:

(tall container + tall and dramatic stem, short container + shorter stems)

(can't get any easier than this, right? votive holders as petri dishes)

(these containers from Ikea)

Their tips this time around:

• When shopping for containers look outside the vase section- you can find some great candleholders, glasses, jars, pitchers, and trays to double as vases.
• Limit your search to a single material- clear glass works best for a “lab look”.
• Groupings of odd numbers usually work best, but evens are ok if you are using multiples of the same size piece (ex. four votive floaters together on a cocktail table).
• Limit your flower types to five or six and use them in different combinations. You can float single lilac and ranunculus blossoms, use a single stem of each in test tube vases, create tight posies of each by themselves, and also make tiny arrangements using them together. That gives you seven different options using only two types of flowers!
• Don’t forget about plants. Layered gravel, dirt, and moss with a succulent or small wildflower plant on top can be a fun and unexpected addition to your grouping (and you can make them a bit further ahead of time too).
• Don’t be afraid to set loose blossoms that hold well out of water or succulents right on the table.