How to style a dried flower bouquet

If you’re looking to add a stylish flourish to your space with minimum effort and maximum gains, dried flowers are your new best friend. With all the beauty of a fresh arrangement and zero watering required, they’re also droop-free, so you can enjoy their stunning look for longer. With dried flower specialists Shida reinventing the look using natural dyes for their long-lasting, sustainable preserved blooms, they were our go-to for styling advice. Chief creative Katherine Whitchurch gives us her top tips for arranging a dried flower bouquet.

You’ll need

• Your flowers of choice — you could start with a mix of greenery, focal flowers and secondary flowers for your arrangement.

• Sharp scissors or secateurs for trimming your stems.

• Your vase. Think about size (more tips below).

Select your vessel

‘As a rough guide, the vase should be around half the height of your bouquet,’ says Katherine. ‘We like to use opaque ceramics or pretty-coloured glass to hide the stems and put the focus on the gorgeous flowers.’

Bea Green Glass Vase

Large vase

A tall or cylinder vase requires flowers with long and sturdy stems. Being large, the vase is already a statement, so you may only need a few types of flowers in your arrangement. Use a standout colourful bloom as the centrepiece, then surround with more neutral secondary flowers.

Oro Gold Glass Vase

Medium vase

This size of vase allows a little more creative freedom. Medium vases usually have a wide opening and can fit many floral varieties. You could opt for colourful focal and secondary blooms, then fill around them with neutral shades, adding texture as you go.

Kani Lustre Glass Vase

Small vase

When arranging flowers in a small vase, you can create a simple but striking look with just a few brightly coloured standout blooms. You could include contrasting shades within the same palette, adding texture around them. You won’t need a lot of greenery, as you’ll have less space.

Arranging your dried flowers

Step 1

Unbox and sort the stems into groups of the same flower/leaf type.

Ixia Pink Glass Vase

Step 2

Select your vase. Measure your stems next to the vase and trim to fit. Katherine recommends using varying stem lengths from 1.5 to 2 times the height of the vase.

Step 3

Begin building up your arrangement. Start with structural stems – this is your foliage or greenery – and begin adding layers with your secondary ‘filler’ flowers (usually the smaller flowers or more subtle colours), checking the shape as you go.

‘Flowers and greenery can have a positive impact on our health and wellbeing,’ says Katherine. ‘There is a lot of convincing evidence that flowers may be potent mood elevators.’

Step 4

Start feeding in your focal, showstopping blooms. While layering, keep in mind the style you prefer and where the finished arrangement will be displayed. Front-facing with focal stems in full view? Maybe a 360-degree all-rounder? Or add your own spin with an asymmetrical arrangement – it’s up to you!

Amelie Preserved Flower Bouquet

Step 5

Make your final adjustments, tweaking the foliage to fill empty spaces. Take a step back and admire your handy work. Also use the tips below to ensure your arrangement is styled to its best.

Final flourishes

• If using just one type of flower, include greenery to balance the look.

• Vary the height of the stems for more depth.

• Add dimension by using a variety of flower textures.

• Using a simple transparent vase? Wrap stems with twine to add visual interest.

• When positioning your vase, place away from fireplaces, radiators or other heat sources to prevent the stems from drying out.
Yellow Spot Glass Vase
Alba Preserved Flower Bouquet

Caring for your dried flowers

'Make sure your arrangement lasts by keeping your flowers out of direct sunlight to preserve their colour,’ advises Katherine. 'You can give them an occasional light dust using a hairdryer, making sure you position the hairdryer at a metre distance from the flowers and use the cool setting.’

Style your own

Fancy having a go and creating a corner of floral joy in your home? Take a look at our dried flowers collection and select your favourite stems to start styling your very own arrangement.