• Flower arrangements are used for many decorating purposes.flower arrangement on white background #5 image by Gary from Fotolia.com
  
  Flower arranging is an art used to spruce up a room, show sympathy and convey get well or birthday wishes. Flower arrangements are decorations at weddings and given as a very popular gift for Valentine's Day and wedding anniversaries. Designing a flower arrangement takes time and attention to detail and colors. Regardless of how you arrange the flowers, there are a few tips to consider to make designer arrangements that last more than a couple of days.
  
  

Vase Choices

• For live flowers, you will need a non-porous vase. Do not worry about hiding the stems, a clear vase is fine and will allow you to watch the water level. Choose a vase with an appropriately sized opening for the all the flowers you will add to the arrangement. You do not want to over-crowd the stems. Make sure all stems reach into the water, to avoid some blooms wilting sooner than others do. For silk flowers, it is best to choose a colored vase. This will hide the fake stems, making it harder for people to determine if the arrangement is real. Hide artificial flower stems in a glass vase by placing river pebbles or colored aquarium rocks around the bottom of the stems.
  
  

Water Supply

• The next and most important step for arranging a designer bouquet of live flowers is adding water to your chosen vase. Fill the vase up to 2 inches below the top with a mixture of water and flower food. This will encourage the flowers to stay beautiful for several days or even weeks. Place the flowers in the arrangement, ensuring that each stem is long enough to reach completely into the water to sustain each bloom. Additionally, trim leaves from the stems so no leaves sit in the water. If using fake flowers, you may leave the vase empty or use a piece of floral arranging foam to hold stems into place as you complete the arrangement.
  
  

Adding the Flower

• To prevent the flowers from overlapping improperly and bunching up, add flowers in layers. Add the bottom most layer first. Place some filler or greenery for the bottom layer and work your way up in layers, placing filler pieces as you go. Place a few more filler pieces when you finish. This method may prevent the overlapping of flowers and creating arrangements that look overstuffed and unprofessional.