A bright, hand-tied bouquet adds color, texture and joy to any summer table. Forage in your own (or a friend’s) backyard and check out your local market stands for fresh blooms. This recipe is a favorite and is endlessly flexible as seasons and moods change.
Illustration by Melissa Washburn
If harvesting your own stems, make sure to pick early in the morning when plants are hydrated. Place stems directly into fresh lukewarm water until ready to use.
Strip the leaves off the lower two-thirds of the stems. Shape your non-dominant hand into a loose C. Gently set the greenery into the C, adding each stem in at a 45-degree angle, with one or two sticking up. It will initially feel floppy, but you can rearrange as you add blooms.
Next, add structure to the bouquet by arranging the tall stems in a triangle shape. Then place focal blooms a little lower down and around the base of the bouquet. Fill in height gaps and blank spots with filler stems, turning the bouquet to make sure all sides have some color. Finally, add the two textural stems close to each other, one taller than the other.
Wrap with a rubber band, then trim the bottom 2 inches with sharp shears. Tie with ribbon for a special gift or place in your own favorite vase.
Photo provided by Singletree Farm
By Singletree Farm
Kate Friesen and her spouse, Scott Kempf, run Singletree Farm, a cut-flower farm and small floral design studio in Benton, IN. You can follow their flowers on Instagram at @singletree_farm, on Facebook at @SingletreeFlowers or at singletree.farm.
