Flower Arranging - BRING IN THE SPRING BLOOMS!

Bring the freshness of spring into your house with blooms from your garden. The informal air of spring makes it seem like you're at the florist. Your garden will provide all that you need this season. Colorful flowers arranged in generous bunches with fresh greenery will add a splash of color to your rooms.

Gathering the Blooms: Pick garden flowers slightly before they are completely open. Trim their stems and excess leaves. Make sure the stems are immersed in water when trimming. For 'filling' the arrangement, choose from the available greenery in your garden.

Scent: The fresh scent of many blooms is enough to leave a lingering trace of scent in your rooms and hallways, but if you want more of it, add twigs of scented herbs like sage, mint, thyme or rosemary to your arrangement.

Large Arrangements: Large vases or urns filled abundantly with seasonal small blooms look stunning. You can fill the vase with flowers of one single variety or color, or use bunches of mixed flowers.

Small Arrangements: Small containers with a few blooms or even a single bloom are exactly what your windowsills and side-tables need. Get creative with the containers and put to good use all your vintage cans and teacups.

Shaping: Spring blooms look most beautiful when left to flow naturally from any container. Leave the formal arrangements for luxurious Winter Holidays and fill your vases with informally arranged bunches, allowing them to trail naturally.

Placing the Arrangement: Place large vases in safe and open areas but go for small, practical arrangements for small spaces, bathroom, cloakroom etc. Transform hallways and dark corners with the introduction of a vase of flowers. Cleaned and polished Fireplaces and Mantles can be cheered up with flamboyant arrangements whereas a single bloom or small baskets will beautify empty windowsills. Tussie-Mussies can be used to adorn all doorknobs.

About the Author: Lata Tokhi is the Founder and Editor of Dot Com Women, a premier women's website and fast-growing online community.