Oprah’s Florist Shares the Key to Making a Stunning Flower Arrangement (2024)

Now that spring is here and everything’s coming up roses, gardenias, tulips, and peonies, there’s no better time to learn how to turn your garden's flowers into a blossoming work of art. To figure out how to design a photo-worthy centerpiece, we enlisted one of Oprah’s favorite gurus: Designer Diana Dolan, who in addition to co-owning Porch (a home and garden store in Santa Barbara), has also spent nearly two decades creating gorgeous arrangements for Oprah’s home, parties, and even cover shoots.

Dolan insists there are no hard-and-fast rules for making flower arrangements: “It really comes down to learning to trust your gut, intuition, and aesthetics." However, there are few tricks that make it easier to create (at least, semi-) professional-looking bouquets at home, including a foolproof method for picking blooms that go together, the exact angle for cutting your stems, and the most effective way to prolong the life of your flowers (nope, it’s not aspirin or vodka).

Ahead, Dolan shares a step-by-step guide for how to make a flower arrangement that’s both simple and striking.

First, think about the purpose of your flower arrangement.

Before heading to your local farmer’s market, florist, or, yes, supermarket, determine where you’ll display the arrangement and what you’re going to be using it for.

If you’re just looking for something to brighten your space—and spirits—a small bouquet on your bedside table, kitchen island, or office desk should suffice. But if you’re inviting guests over for an intimate co*cktail party or a celebratory dinner, you may want to consider a statement-making arrangement in your entryway (Dolan’s recommendation: fill a tall vase with flowering quince, cherry, dogwood, or magnolia branches, which she says is “the easiest yet showiest thing ever”), as well as a floral centerpiece for your dining room table. “Typically, you want to opt for something shorter and wider,” says Dolan. “That’s because flowers should never impede interaction or conversation between your guests, which is something I learned from Oprah herself.”

Look for an assortment of feature and filler flowers, as well as plenty of leafy greens.

Not to state the obvious, but the right blooms are the foundation of any great arrangement. You’ll want to focus on three types of flowers.

Feature flowers are the large, standout stems you’ll immediately notice. (In this case, Dolan chose anemones, hellebores, butterfly ranunculus, garden roses, and scabiosa, but you can also just use one or two of your favorites.)

Filler flowers are smaller blooms—such as the rice flower, geraniums, jasmine, and swan river myrtle shown here—that allow you to build volume, while also enhancing and highlighting the bigger blossoms. “To keep things interesting, I always choose one filler flower that feels unexpected," says Dolan, pointing to the swan river myrtle (the pink flowering vines) in her arrangement. “It’s a great conversation starter because it draws you in and begs the question, 'What is that?'”

Greens (like the geranium leaves, eucalyptus branches, and gardenia foliage included in Dolan’s centerpiece) provide a foundation for your arrangement and help define its shape. Most importantly, though, greens add texture—which is why Dolan recommends using at least three different types, including both store-bought options and ones you’ve foraged from your own garden or surroundings.

To pick the prettiest mix of blooms, consider their colors.

The simplest way to choose blooms and blossoms that’ll look beautiful together? Consider your color palette: A monochromatic arrangement features flowers made of only one hue (pro tip: make sure to use blooms with varying textures), while a bouquet featuring complementary shades (meaning they’re on opposite sides of the color wheel, like pink and green) is almost always beautiful. Alternatively, you could start with a main focal flower (say, a peachy ranunculus) and use some of its underlying tones (in this case, yellow, pink, and even green) to help you pick the remaining blooms. Or you could choose flowers and foliage that share similar hints or tinges of color. “If you look closely, both the geranium leaves and the anemones have the same deep purple detail,” says Dolan. “That builds a relationship between the two, which is very pleasing to the eye.” (Still feeling nervous? You can't go wrong with Bouquet Box, a service that sends exactly what you need to create a lovely, lush centerpiece, including curated, fresh-from-the-farm flowers, a custom tool kit, and step-by-step instructions.)

Select blooms that feel fresh and perky.

Whatever you choose, make sure to skip anything with the usual signs of flower fatigue (think: browning, wilting, and tearing), and instead pick blooms that feel fresh and perky. “Some people recommend shopping for flowers like you would with produce, meaning you should buy something that’s slightly underripe,” says Dolan. “But I’ve had plenty of experiences where buds never open up, so I always look for something that’s pretty and beautiful now.”

Cut your flowers and remove some of the leaves—which will keep them looking fresh for longer.

First, fill a bucket or container with room temperature water, then remove any damaged petals or leaves, as well as any foliage that’ll likely sit below the water line. “Leaves rot when submerged in water, which in turn encourages bacteria and reduces the life of your blooms,” says Dolan.

Once the stems are cleaned, snip an inch off the bottom using a good pair of shears or a sharp floral knife. “Make sure to always cut your stems at a 45-degree angle,” says Dolan. “That creates a larger surface area for absorbing water than cutting it straight.”

As soon as you’ve trimmed your stems, immediately place them in the bucket of water. “The amount of time between that slice and when they get into water is crucial,” says Dolan. “If you trim them, then set them aside for five or ten minutes, you’ve defeated the purpose of that fresh cut.”

Choose the right vase.

While your flowers are rehydrating, select and prepare your vase. Typically, there are three factors to consider when choosing the perfect vessel for your arrangement:

• Height: As a general rule of thumb, the length of your flowers should be no more than one and a half to two times the height of your vase—which means you may need to give your stems a second cut.
• Diameter: If the opening of your vase is too wide, your flowers will likely fall out; if it's too narrow, they'll look squished. So, pick a vase that’s double the diameter of your stems, which is usually a safe bet.
• Style: Typically, you want to avoid choosing a color that’ll clash with your flowers, or anything too busy. In addition to traditional glass or ceramic options, you might also consider something a bit more creative, like an interesting pitcher, a vintage coffee tin, a fancy bottle of olive oil, a decorative candle holder, a large mug, or a casserole dish, like Dolan did here. “It’s practical yet pretty and goes with everything,” she says. “Not to mention it’s something most people probably already have.”

If you’re using a wider vase or vessel—like Dolan’s casserole dish—you may need to provide extra support to ensure your flowers and foliage stay in place. To do so, cut a 12-inch piece of chicken wire, fold it into an oval shape, and place it inside your vase, just below the rim. (If your vessel is transparent, you can also use clear floral tape to create a grid over the mouth of the vase.) After prepping your vase, fill it three-quarters full with room temperature water.

To make your flower arrangement, begin with your greens.

While some people place their leaves and branches using an S-technique (in which there are higher stems on one side and lower stems on the other), Dolan prefers to make a bed of greens that goes around the entire arrangement. “It essentially makes a supportive nest for all of your smaller and larger flowers,” she says. “But, again, there are no set rules.” Working with a few greens at a time, add them to the vase, poking the stems through the chicken wire on a diagonal. Repeat this process, making your way around the entire rim of the vessel. (Pro tip: Placing the vase on a lazy Susan can help you see all sides without having to continuously move the vase.)

Flowers should be no more than one and a half to two times the height of your vase—but you can cut them at slightly different heights to give your arrangement more depth and variety.

Keep in mind: Before adding your greens, as well as your feature and filler flowers, you'll likely need to recut the stems. While they generally should be no more than one and a half to two times the height of your vase, you can trim the ends of your flowers and foliage at slightly different heights to give your arrangement more depth and variety. “It’s what you see in nature,” says Dolan. “If you look at a garden of roses, they’re not all the same height. Some will be shorter and some will be taller.”

Then add your filler flowers, followed by your feature flowers.

Once you’ve got your foliage in place, you can start incorporating your blooms. Following the same process that you used for the greens, first add your filler flowers, working again in small clusters. “I usually do groups of three, five, or seven,” says Dolan. “Not only is it more aesthetically pleasing, but it’s also more natural. In a field or meadow, wildflowers will grow in small clusters, rather than evenly-spaced polka dots.” Additionally, you may want to layer and stagger some blossoms, making sure a few of the stems are touching the side of the vase, while others are touching the bottom to cover every angle.

After that, repeat the process one more time, adding in your larger, showy feature flowers. Again, work in clusters of three, five, or seven and place as many—or as little—as you’d like.

When you’re finished, step away from the arrangement for a few minutes, then give it a final check. Spin the arrangement around, making sure it looks full and interesting from the front, the back, and the sides. If there are any giant gaps, fill them with whatever material is most suited for that particular place—whether that’s a big blossom, a delicate bloom, a spindly green, or just a simple leaf. You might also try changing the direction of some flowers or shifting the greens and filler flowers, so that they create a better frame for the bigger blooms. You may even want to remove some elements if a particular area seems too crowded or busy.

[One thing to note: These same rules apply if you're arranging flowers in a standard glass vase without any floral tape or chicken wire.]

To make your flower arrangement last longer, treat it to some TLC.

While you might have heard the tricks involving bleach, aspirin, or even vodka, preserving the life of your flowers is actually much simpler than that: “Nothing beats a fresh cut and clean water,” says Dolan. “It’s honestly the easiest and most effective way to get the most bang for your buck.”

If you have a simple bouquet of tulips or roses, just remove the flowers from the vase, trim an inch or two off the ends (again, make sure to cut your stems at a 45-degree angle), and change the water every two or three days. On the other hand, if you have a mixed arrangement like Dolan’s, "new water every couple of days will go a long way,” she says. “Take the entire arrangement over to your kitchen sink and carefully run fresh water into the flowers to flush out the old water.”

No matter how hard you try, the unfortunate truth is that flowers won’t last forever. But chances are, there might be a couple of blooms that remain perky and fresh even once everything else has wilted and withered. “Remove the healthy blossoms from the arrangement, cut off the flower heads, and float them in a glass bowl,” says Dolan. “You’ll immediately have a whole new arrangement to enjoy.”

For more stories like this, sign up for our newsletter.