There are those that believe silk flowers are not kosher in creating a flower arrangement. It is not the silk flowers are bad, it is how the flower arrangement is made that give silk flowers the bum rap.
Many people who create flower arrangements with silk flowers use the bunches of silk flowers in their arrangements as they purchased them. That is where many people go wrong with silk floral arrangements.
There are more than just the flowers in live floral arrangements. Florists add greenery to their arrangements as well as other types of floral decorations. The addition of the extra leaves and floral decorations will give the floral arrangement character.
Starting Your Silk Floral Arrangement
You will want to start the process of your silk floral arrangements are choosing the silk flowers, Styrofoam holders, and containers. These three items will be the basis of your silk flower arrangement.
Silk Flower Choices
Silk flowers come in an array of colors, sizes, in bunches, and as singles. You will want to choose the colors that will fit into the color scheme of your home decor. You will then want to decide how much you will want to spend on the silk flowers.
You may want to use your favorite flower for the choice of silk flowers. Silk flowers come in as a wide variety of flower choices as they do in colors.
Silk flowers are cheaper by purchasing the bushes. Bushes of silk flowers come in groups of five to fifteen flowers per bunch or bush. The more flowers that are in the bushes the more expensive they will be.
Another thing to remember in the purchasing of silk flowers is that you will find silk flowers that have sprigs of flowers. You may want to consider adding a bush of the sprig flowers to your floral arrangement.
Container Choices for Silk Flowers
There are numerous styles of containers that you can purchase for your silk flower arrangement. There are baskets, decorative flower pots, and metal flower containers. But wait, you have a decorative container at home that sits there empty, you can use that for your silk flower arrangement.
Basically, any container that strikes your fancy and will go with the decor of the rooms where the silk floral arrangement will be placed will need to be a consideration in the purchasing process. After all, the floral container is going to play another factor in creating your floral arrangement.
Silk Flower Amount and Container Size
You will need to purchase enough silk flowers to fill the container so that it looks full and pretty, not skimpy and sad. This is another problem that many face, how many silk flowers are enough?
A small container, about four to six inches, will need only one silk flower bush. A medium container, six to ten inches, will need one to two silk bunches depending on the choice of silk flowers. Any container more than ten inches add one silk flower bunch per two inches. Basically, a container that is twelve to twenty inches will take three to five bunches of silk flowers.
The smaller the flowers in the silk flower bushes, the more you will need to make a nice looking floral arrangement.
Styrofoam Balls and Blocks
The shape and size of the container you have chosen, will decide which size and shape of Styrofoam you will need to purchase. The easiest way to do this is to have the container or have the exact dimensions of the container with you on the isle that the Styrofoam balls and blocks are located. You will be able to choose a piece of Styrofoam that is wide enough and tall enough for the container.
Greenery and Decorations
You can purchase an extra bunch or two of leaf greenery to add to your floral arrangement for depth and height. You can add taller leaves in the middle areas of the floral arrangement and around the bottom add smaller leaves.
You can add bows, butterflies, birds or any other type of decoration to your silk floral arrangement if this suits you. The extra embellishments are optional.
Other Items Needed
You will need a pair of wire cutters or pliers to cut the bushes of silk flowers apart.
Putting Your Silk Floral Arrangement Together
The following are the steps to put your flower arrangement together.
• You will want to cut the silk flower and greenery bushes apart as close to the bottom of the stems as you can. This will give the silk flowers a variety of lengths to use.
• You will place the piece of Styrofoam in the bottom of the container. It will be
• Place the taller cut silk flowers and greenery in the middle of the Styrofoam.
• Place the shorter silk flowers and greenery around the outer area of the Styrofoam.
• If you need to rearrange the flowers and greenery until you find an arrangement that suits you.
The reason that you place the Styrofoam in the container before arranging is that the Styrofoam will not fall over while you are decorating, and you will be able to see how the silk floral arrangement will look during creation. Also, cutting the silk flower bushes apart helps create the illusion of a live floral arrangement, as well as, the floral arrangement being created by a professional florist.
Silk Floral Arrangement Care
Silk floral arrangements require no watering or feeding to keep them alive and healthy. This will make it easier for the maintenance of you silk floral arrangement.
However, silk floral arrangements do become dusty over time. There are two ways that you can clean the silk flowers.
Cleaning Silk Flowers
You need to remove the silk flowers from the Styrofoam and run them under warm tap water. You can also use a mild dish soap in warm water. Some people have placed their silk flowers in a lingerie bag and ran them through the dishwasher. A damp wash cloth will also work in cleaning of the arrangements.
Another option to clean your silk flower arrangements is to use a lint roller over the flowers and greenery to remove any dust and dirt from the petals and leaves.
Purchasing Silk Floral Arrangement Items
You can purchase any of the silk floral arrangement items at WalMart, Hobby Lobby or any local craft shop. The prices of the items will vary from store to store and from state to state.
