Since we can’t meet face to face, and since the earth is burgeoning with new life, I’d like to share my floral design 101 tips to help you dress up the table a bit this Easter. Hope it helps!

Preparation:                                                                                                Recipe for flower food:

• Sanitize your vessel with bleach water                                             1 tsp. sugar (feeds)
• Cut all stems at a 45-degree angle                                                    1 tsp. bleach (fights)
• Strip leaves and off-shoots to keep them out of water                 2 tsp. lemon or lime juice (fixes)
• Feed your flowers                                                                                1 qt. water

The at-home Compote Arrangement:

Step one: Use sturdier foliage first to form a structure and give shape to the piece you’re envisioning. Consider its location and purpose. If it’s a long table, create an inverted triangle shape and exaggerate depending on the table length.

To begin your form, place the stems or branches coming out from the vessel approximately at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, and 9 o’clock.

Be sure to start from the outside parameters first and work your way to the center. This will create a base layer. Once you create the general shape, you can add more textures. Just maintain that inverted triangle shape as you go.

Even when using foliage only, and no flowers, don’t give into the temptation to fill the center at the beginning. You’ll want to leave space for the blooms, or the foliage that will become your focal point.

Step two: Always work from large to small. Place your larger, juicier blooms first. I like to find a showstopper for each side and place them, usually rather low and off center in my arrangements. Partially because it’s at eye level on a dining table, and also, because it serves to anchor the eye.

Once you have your focal points established, then fill in with the others. Be sure to give each flower its own moment, and to place at different planes, with differing heights. This helps in giving them each a spotlight, as well as keeping them from crowding each other.

Lastly, add your wispy, whimsical, light blooms in clusters, as they would grow naturally outside. Try to avoid sporadic placement, which can lead to chaos. Imagine the vase as the ground, and the flowers growing up from it.