How-To Tuesday: Step by step for creating an arrangement with dahlias

I love this black lustre ribbed glass vase, is has approximately a 5" opening.

Local blush pink dahlias and blushing bride (a type of protea).

Green mini hosta leaves, pink spray roses and white veronica.

Succulent - love!

Clean off any of the under petals of the dahlias that may be bruised or browning.

Cut stems so that the flower is about 1 1/2 times the height of the container.

Continue to cross stems over each other as you build arrangement.

Be sure to clean any foliage off the stems that will go below the water level.

As you add different elements continue layering the stems so that you can build a foundation.

As with all hard and woody stems you want to make sure that the stem is cut on an angle to optimize the amount of water the flower can drink.

I added the hosta leaves in groups of 2 or 3 stems as a additional accent.

The succulent is secured on wooden stakes and added to the arrangement.

Of course I didn't take pictures of some of the steps - mid way through the arrangement I forgot that I was trying to document step by step and I got carried away with the design. Once you get your base elements in place you can continue to add each type of flower. I added the spray roses last and didn't use too many but wanted the additional pops of color.

 

 

The final product was lush and full but still had a loose gardeny feel. I loved all the texture in the design!