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Pretty floral arrangements 818 views

Fancy trying your hand at flower arranging? Jane Scott, floral designer for John Lewis, shows Sarah Richardson how easy it is to create a stunning topiary-style arrangement – perfect for your wedding or to brighten up your home. Sunflowers are a great choice for this pretty arrangement, but you could also try gerberas, daffodils, standard carnations, dahlias or amaryllis. They should look great for up to a week as long as you top up the water regularly.

For each arrangement you will need:

Tall vase (mine was 25cm high)
10 sunflowers, stripped of leaves
6-8 strands raffia
6-8 cups sand
2-4 cups shells, crushed or whole

1. Select the most upright of your sunflowers to use at the centre of your arrangement, then add the remaining flowers around it one by one, packing them in close and holding them near the top.

2. Cut your flowers to the desired length. This could either be much taller than the vase, or only just tall enough to peep over the top of it – the choice is yours. I cut mine to around 44cm high.

3. Bind the flowers together near the top with a strand of raffia secured with a knot, taking care not to break the stems.

4. Now bind the flowers close to the bottom of the stems with another strand of raffia secured with a knot. NB This binding will be covered by sand so does not have to be super-neat.

5. Place the flowers in the centre of the vase, holding them upright. Meanwhile, pour the sand around the flowers to support the stems. Add the crushed shells, then pour in some water to just above the level of the sand and shells.

6. Tie some raffia (coloured or otherwise) around the vase for the finishing touch.

Jane Scott’s floral designs are available from John Lewis Flowers