If you're hosting Thanksgiving or any dinner over the holiday season this year, I have got the key to a flawless, modern floral design that won't take up much table space and requires only minutes to do.
It's based around using a single flower variety to create a structural, contemporary look in a bud vase, and repeating the same design along a table.
In a recent Petals & Roots episode, I demonstrate exactly how I came up with this modern bud vase styling idea, and show you how to recreate this flower arrangement using stunning ball dahlias. Here I cover the process in detail, and share more of my tips and tricks for simple, modern floral styling.
What you need to recreate this modern bud vase styling idea
- A selection of 6-8 identical bud vases.
- Floristry scissors; I use the Niwaki floral scissors, available from Anthropologie.
- Seven flower stems per bud vase. You're going to be using one single flower variety for this design, so you could benefit from buying in bulk at a local flower market or from a flower grower in your area.
How to make your own contemporary bud vases
It is so simple to get this design right. You need to make sure you have at least seven stems of the same flower for each bud vase.
The idea is to add them to the vase at a range of different heights, to create a series of mini living sculptures.
We want this design to look very clean and sleek, so remove all foliage and any buds from your stems before you begin.
Start by adding your first stem. I opted for a fairly tall one.
Follow this up with your lowest stem, so it's overlapping the lip of the vase, and then fill in the gaps by staggering the stems at different heights. Once you have three or four stems in a bud vase, they will start to hold each other in position.
Measure the stem against the side of the vase each time before you cut it, to make sure you are trimming at the correct height. If in doubt, cut a bit less and keep trimming until you reach the desired length.
Once you have 6-7 stems in a vase, look at it from all angles to decide whether there are any gaps you want to fill, or maybe you want to keep some negative space as part of the design.
You can move the stems around a little to get them to hold nicely in their desired shape.
Why this design works and how you can modify it
It's not often I come up with a floral design idea by accident, but it does happen from time to time. On this occasion, I was collecting from flowers from a wedding, and wanted to quickly save all the dahlias from each arrangement.
All I had to put them in were a few bud vases, so I simply popped them in without much thought. They had already been cut at different heights, and the result was this incredible mini floral sculpture.
The crucial element when recreating this is choosing the right flower type and color.
I opted for a ball dahlia type in burnt orange, not only because they represent the season, but also for their perfectly structured form. Looking at that flower is all the confirmation you need that nature is the most sublime mathematician.
This design is pared back, modern and unfussy, so think about that when you come to select your chosen bloom. Designing with dahlias is ideal for this kind of arrangement, but other flowers I would consider are chrysanthemums, zinnias, lisianthus (with all the buds removed), clematis, and iris.
Your essential floristry kit
I love these clear glass bud vases as they are ultra modern and would be ideal for this kind of arrangement when displayed all the way along a banqueting table.
These floristry scissors are very similar to the ones I use every day. The ergonomic grip means no strain on my hand or wrist, and they are incredibly sharp.
You could also opt for chic color from your bud vases with this bottle green option. This particular shade of green has a grown up elegance to it, and would complement a fall or winter tablescape perfectly.
There are so many different styles of flowers you can use with bud vases to create beautiful displays for your dining tables.
A design that was particularly loved over the summer on the Homes & Gardens TikTok was when I demonstrated how to create a bud vase display using wild flowers from your own garden.
It's a whole different vibe to the modern look I've created here, but would perfectly complement an afternoon tea or a summer party.
Petals & Roots is a weekly video series fronted by me, Rachel Bull, Head of Gardens at Homes & Gardens. Every weekend on social, I share my seasonal gardening and flower arranging expertise and advice.
