Six arrangement studies

• Frosted Elegance

  A white study for a room with pale walls. Roses, lilies, orchids, silver brunia, a little baby’s breath. Cool water. Change it every two days.

• Holiday Cheer

  Red and white, with pine at the back so the roses are not doing all the work. Cool water. Trim before it goes in the vase.

• Winter Berry

  Red rose, white lily, hypericum berries, pine. The berries are the reason it is not just another red-and-white study. Cool water, every two days.

• Snowy Night

  All white, and quieter than Frosted Elegance. No baby’s breath. A mist in the morning. Cool water.

• Tropical Paradise

  For a warm room. Bird of paradise, anthurium, orchid, protea. Warm water, a daily mist, and no draft from the door.

• Sunflower Delight

  The summer study. Sunflower, dahlia, zinnia, marigold. New water every day, and a place that actually gets sun.

The one method

Every study uses the same hands. Only the flowers, the water and the room change.

1. 1Pick the vessel, or soak the foam until it sinks.
2. 2Use cool water for roses, lilies, tulips and pine, and warm water for orchids, anthurium, bird of paradise and protea.
3. 3Add flower food when the study calls for it.
4. 4Cut every stem on an angle. Strip any leaf that would sit under the water. Take the thorns off the roses.
5. 5Build from the back or the center: tall stems first, then the focal flowers, then the short stems and filler.
6. 6Use tape or wire only if a stem won’t stand. The ribbon is a finish, not a flower.
7. 7Change the water on its clock. Recut. Pull anything wilted.

Three clocks

• Cool. Change the water every two days, and keep it out of sun and heat.
• Warm. Use warm water, mist once a day, and keep it in a warm room away from drafts.
• Daily. New water every day, in a sunny spot for summer flowers and a cool spot for mums and asters.

Studies, not stock. If you want one built, ask, and it is quoted.