This article has been updated with additional details in May, 2026.

Vary your greenery options in flower arrangements. 

One thing I learned years ago — start with the greenery. It gives you a
great base to build on.

I like to contrast my green foliage with the flowers — so if I have tight,
compact flowers, I balance that with looser greens that will help to fluff
up the arrangement. 

And a combo of both works as well! (I told you, you can’t go wrong.) For my
first one I choose combo of a more relaxed filler and the simpler leafy one:
 

Think outside of the box for your vases. 

After the greenery, the larger blooms are next. I grabbed these ball mums in
a purplish pink tone: 

Just like in decor, adding florals in odd numbers works well. So if you have
a bunch of different flowers, start with three of the largest first, then
add later if you want more fullness.

Next, the lighter florals, like these wax filler flowers: 

I find I always lean toward monochromatic floral displays. Over the past few
years I’m trying to branch out just a bit. This time I did that by adding
some cream calla lilies here and there: 

They were the perfect finishing touch! 

I absolutely LOVE how this one turned out. (Spoiler: I love how they all
turned out.) The combo of tighter blooms with the loose and fluffy greenery
and wax flowers really makes this one a gorgeous centerpiece: 

Mums and carnations are a couple of my favorite inexpensive grocery store
flowers! They provide such a great pop of color and last FOREVER.

Don’t overthink the flowers you pick for your arrangements. 

I think what stops most from trying their hand at flower arranging is the
not knowing what flowers “work” together. Like I mentioned before — it’s
hard to mess this up. And just like decor, there may be combinations you
love that others don’t. Do what you like!

In my experience, if the colors of the flowers look good together, you can
mix just about anything up. That’s the fun part!

For my next arrangement, I started with this adorably fluffy green ball
filler: 

I love the moss look of them!

I wanted this one to be really full and pretty, so after the greenery I
started lacing in more of the wax flowers. Some have ferny type stems, and
you’ll want to make sure to remove any greenery that will be under the water
line:

Leaves of any kind left in the water will rot quickly and the bacteria will
ruin your water. Cutting them down at the start will save you a ton of time
later and your flowers will last much longer. 

When I was done, I knew the contrast of a more compact flower would really
finish it off beautifully, so I added some purple tulips. The combination is
just gorgeous: 

See what I mean about the colors working together? Different tones of the
same color make the whole arrangement feel cohesive: 

And the greenery gives great balance to all of the color!

My vase is actually a candleholder from World Market, unfortunately they
don’t carry it anymore. 🙁 But this is why I suggest using items other than
traditional vases:

In the flower arranging post I referenced earlier, I share this lacing
technique with the stems that is especially helpful when you’re using a
glass or clear vase:

It just looks nicer and it makes it so much easier to remove the whole
display to cut them down every few days. When the stems are mingled together
like that, your bouquet won’t fall apart every time you change the
water. 

Finally, I stepped out of my purple comfort zone and used an orange and red
combo…it turned out so lovely!: 

I started with a few greenery stems and then the tulips, but felt like it
needed something else. The red astromelia was the perfect finishing
touch!: 

I LOVE the combo of the orange, yellow and red! Astromelia is another great
flower for arraignments for its bright color and longevity. These will last
for weeks!