Characterized by a wide variety of vibrant colors, textures, and, of course, floral options, Autumn is an ideal season for creating stunning tablescapes. If you’re planning to host a fall dinner party this season, Kroger makes it easy to set the scene, offering a selection of beautiful, fresh flowers. After purchasing your favorite flowers from Kroger, follow the tips below from Amy Montgomery of Amy Montgomery Home to create a stunning fall floral arrangement that will have your guests swooning.
3 Tips For Making a Simple Yet Stunning Fall Flower Arrangement
Condition your flowers overnight.
First and foremost, Amy recommends conditioning your flowers overnight. This is especially important because the process gives blooms a chance to open up and look their best before your gathering. To begin the conditioning process, Amy recommends taking the flowers out of their wrapping as soon as you get home to let them expand. Next, you’ll want to trim the stems. For these particular arrangements, Amy cut her flowers short enough to fit in a stemless wine glass … but more on that later. She goes on to note that the shorter you cut your flowers, the longer they last. After cutting your flowers, be sure to remove any unnecessary greenery or leaves, which helps prevent rotting and bacteria build-up.
Amy also recommends allowing your flowers to sit in water overnight. And don’t forget to add preservatives — Kroger includes preservative packets with their flowers for extra convenience. If you plan to store your flowers in the refrigerator overnight — a common method for slowing decay — Amy says to be mindful of their placement. If flowers are too far back in the refrigerator, they may freeze over.
Use a stemless wine glass for a vase.
For Amy’s next tip, she recommends using a stemless wine glass in place of a traditional vase. It’s an easy hack anyone can do, and it makes for a lusher-looking arrangement. Because the opening of a wine glass is typically smaller than a vase, it’s easier for flowers to remain assembled the way you’ve intended, and the smaller neck conveniently tips flowers inward. (SB TIP: If you don’t have stemless wine glasses on hand, pick up a set from Kroger while you’re buying your flowers.)
Because wine glasses are often clear, Amy also has a tip for concealing your flowers’ “mechanics” (aka the stems) — simply tuck hydrangea leaves between the flower stems and glass to cover up anything you don’t want guests to see. The process, Amy says, takes about five minutes and adds more texture, color, and greenery to your arrangement.
For this arrangement, Amy uses fresh-cut roses, hydrangea blossoms, sunflowers, Alstroemeria, and red hypericum berries from Kroger. She also adds seeded eucalyptus for greenery and completes the arrangement with dried wheat. When assembling your arrangement, Amy recommends the following order: Start with a rose and then add some greenery, another rose, a sunflower, Alstroemeria, berries, eucalyptus, and end with dried wheat.
“Low and lush” is the name of the game.
When it comes time to place your arrangements, Amy says to remember the words low and lush. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating at a dinner party than not being able to socialize with the person across from you because the centerpiece is too tall and elaborate.
It’s also important to think about the pattern in which you choose to display your arrangements. For example, if you have a round table, place an arrangement in front of each person or group them in the middle of the table. On the other hand, if you have a long, rectangular table like Amy, arrange them in a straight line.
If you would like to have an arrangement that’s a bit more extravagant and sizable, Amy recommends placing it on a nearby buffet or bar cart, rather than where you and your guests will be sitting down to eat.
A Few More Pro Tips From Amy
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- If you have a longer table, use an odd number of flower arrangements.
- If you have a small number of arrangements, cut and lay seeded eucalyptus to connect them.
- To elevate your party even further, add a small flower arrangement to your powder room.
- Don’t be afraid to grab from Kroger’s produce section! Small pumpkins, oranges, tomatoes, and bell peppers can add pops of color and fun texture to your arrangement.
And there you have it — three easy tips and plenty of tricks for creating the perfect fall flower arrangements using Kroger flowers!
This article is sponsored by Kroger. All photography by Ruby and Peach unless otherwise noted.
