Flowers + Plants 101

Recipe 7: Modern Minimalist

Friday, September 1, 2017

Fun fact: I’m really inspired by the minimalism movement. My husband and I once watched a documentary on minimalism and the next day gathered 12 totes worth of things to donate to Goodwill. A little extreme, maybe – but cleaning out, removing clutter, and keeping things simple and beautiful are all right up my alley.

Elegant bridal bouquet featuring white calla lilies, yellow roses, and green hydrangeas with long stems tied together against a soft neutral background.

It’s true when they say that simple is sometimes better, and this “Modern Minimalist” bouquet from The Flower Chef seriously speaks to my soul. Just three flower varieties and four steps stand between you and your new favorite arrangement!

What You’ll Need: * 1 stem of green and/or yellow cymbidium orchid * 3-4 stems of mini green hydrangea * 1 bunch of white and/or yellow mini calla lilies * Optional: 6-8 stems of roses * 5-6 pieces of 22-gauge straight stem wire * Floral stem tape

Step 1: Cut and prep the cymbidium orchid blooms Carefully cut 5-6 blooms from the cymbidium orchid stem, keeping as much as the stem as possible. Once you have cut your blooms, create fake stems for each using the floral wire and stem tape. Once you’ve finished creating the stems, set the blooms aside for later!

Step 2: Prep and Spiral Prepare your roses and hydrangeas by removing excess leaves and cutting the stems to your desired length. I typically tend to keep the stems a bit longer so I can be sure the arrangement fits nicely into my vase at the end, but use your best judgment!

Once your flowers are prepped, begin spiraling the roses and hydrangeas. If you decide not to use the roses, simply spiral the hydrangea! Because of the shape of the hydrangeas, you’ll be able to achieve the dome shape pretty quickly. Be sure to adjust your grip and take a look at the arrangement as you go to check your spacing!

Step 3: Pull through the lilies and orchids Gently pull through the orchids and calla lilies so they’re evenly dispersed throughout the bouquet. (Note: It takes a bit of practice to get the faux stems placed securely into the arrangement. Be patient! Propping them up against the more sturdy blooms will help to keep them in place if you’re struggling.)

Step 4: Secure the stems Using either floral tape or a rubber band, secure the arrangement just below the blooms and cut the stems to your desired length (The Flower Chef recommends a 10″ stem length for this bouquet). Wrap the arrangement with ribbon, jute, or simply place it in a vase to admire!

I can hardly even handle the uniqueness of those orchids. So beautiful! As soon as I finished this bouquet, I could picture it paired with a sleek satin wedding gown on a sunny summer day. Would you be inspired to use this color scheme at an upcoming event? Drop a comment below!

I typically tend to keep the stems a bit longer so I can be sure the arrangement fits nicely into my vase at the end, but use your best judgment!

Close-up photo of a person's hands arranging and trimming yellow tulips with scissors on a table, with a floral design book visible in the background.