Walk through this step-by-step tutorial for creating a beautiful peony centerpiece for your summer table or entryway using silk flowers and greenery.
CREATE | Published May 28, 2019
Although I love fresh flowers, I also don't mind using (realistic looking) artificial flowers to create arrangements. The market of faux has definitely improved over the years and if you keep your eyes open, you'll likely find some that are just about as good as the real thing. And the best part is they will last much longer for you to enjoy.
Silk flowers are especially nice when creating centerpieces for a tablescape because the fragrance of an elaborate bouquet may be too much to handle when gathered around the table to eat.
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This was true for what I put together with the summer garden party I shared last week. Sitting so close to that many fresh peonies probably wouldn't have worked well, not to mention the fact that ants tend to really love crawling around inside those flowers. Ants on the table of a fancy garden party are not a good combination!
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Simple Tip for ARRANGING FLOWERS LIKE A PRO
Arranging faux flowers is very similar to that of real flowers and today I wanted to take you step by step through the construction of the centerpiece from my tablescape.
WHAT FLOWERS DO I NEED FOR A SUMMERTIME ARRANGEMENT?
Peonies are one of the most popular flowers you see here in the early summer and that is something you want to consider when creating arrangements with artificial flowers. It will seem more realistic if you keep your flower choice seasonally appropriate.
I chose to combine the peonies with hydrangeas and eucalyptus both because they looked pretty together and because the watercolor graphics I was using on my Garden Party Invitations included the trio.
WHAT SHOULD I USE TO HOLD MY SILK FLOWER ARRANGEMENT?
Every successful arrangement begins with a great container. We typically think of using vases and glass vessels, but practically anything can be used to make a unique floral arrangement, especially with flowers that don't require water. Think outside the box and use baskets, urns, glass bowls, or whatever you might have on hand that will fit the blooms you're using.
I choose a wood box that I picked up a few years ago at an artisan market. It's actually handcrafted using chunky antique baseboards! Because my tablescape was created on a shabby old farm table, I thought the chipped white paint of this box paired perfectly. While I'm not normally a shabby chic style girl, the look worked really well for a summer garden party with friends.
THE STEPS TO BUILDING A STUNNING FAUX FLOWER ARRANGEMENT
STEP 1: Most flowers arrangements that I put together have something green going in first to create a base. It creates a neutral palette for the colorful flowers to shine against and fills in any empty spaces that you may have.
In this instance, I used seeded eucalyptus that comes in a garland from Hobby Lobby. Using wire cutters, I cut three portions of about 1 1/2 feet each apart from the garland and stuck them in hanging out over the sides of the box.
STEP 2: Next, I tucked three large hydrangea stems in, fluffing the eucalyptus branches around to hold the stems in place. At first, I thought they might be too big for this arrangement, but they actually filled things in perfectly once everything was in place.
The wired stems were quite long, so I folded them to get the flowers to fit, but you can also cut the branch if you think that you won't want a longer branch in the future.
STEP 3: A combination of white and pink peonies came next. I love these artificial peonies from Pottery Barn because they come in a group of four separate branches with both open and closed flowers. The variety gives a more realistic feel to the peonies.
Once again, I bent and folded the stems to make the flowers rise out of the arrangement where I wanted them.
STEP 4: Finally, I added a few smaller sprigs of eucalyptus in where there were empty spots in the arrangement.
When you think you're done arranging your flowers, look at the centerpiece from all angles making sure that everything is in place regardless of where you are viewing it. Do a little extra fluffing or move your flowers to fill in empty gaps and ensure that your guests have something pretty to look wherever they may sit if you are using it for a centerpiece.
It always takes me a little while to finally get the arrangement to look how I want it to, so don't get discouraged if what you put together doesn't immediately look the way you envision. I think I tore this one completely apart three times before I got it to come together, which is probably one of the reasons why I enjoy working with artificial flowers so much!
The more you practice arranging flowers the better you will get and the faster they will come together. It feels very rewarding to be able to craft something like this each season (or every few weeks!) for an entryway table or centerpiece.
Are you interested in learning how to create stunning flower arrangements using other flowers or for different growing seasons?
