10 Tricks That Will Help You Arrange Flowers Like a Pro

Why bother with floral foam or marbles when the best arranging tool is right in your backyard? "You can use tree branches to form a backbone that will support more delicate stems," says florist Felipe Sastre. Here, Sastre crisscrossed six pear boughs and weaved in hydrangea and lisianthus, as well as lady's mantle. If your branches are alive and leafy like these, scrape the bottoms, then split them up the center a couple of inches to aid water absorption.

To make these common bulbs more exotic, just put your thumb under each petal and fold it back with your forefinger. "Afterward, they almost resemble camellias," says Sastre.

"It's so much easier to arrange a bouquet on a lazy Susan," says florist Meredith Perez, "because you can turn the vase and see your display from all sides."

Here's how florist Michael George gets roses to absorb more water and live longer: Wrap the flowers in brown packaging paper to protect them, then snip a quarter inch off the stems and place them in one inch of boiling water. "The shock of it forces the air out," says George. "You can actually see bubbles coming from the ends." Leave roses in place until the water turns tepid, give the stems a fresh cut, then transfer to cool water.

Who knew? Good old cooking spray helps tropicals — such as bird-of-paradise, ginger, and heliconia — last. "The spray basically seals the pores of the flower and prevents it from drying out," says florist Remco van Vliet. Lightly spritz each bloom once, from about 12 inches away. It'll make 'em shine, too!

For a clean cut, it's best to snip stems with garden clippers or a sharp knife. "When you use scissors to trim flowers — especially those with tubular stems, like Gerbera daisies — the stems crack," says Sastre. "The blooms can't get water and will die soon after."

No flower food? No problem. "You can put a few drops of Clorox in the water as an alternative," says Sastre. The bleach prevents bacteria — one of the main purposes of other additives.

"Hydrangeas drink better from their big flower heads than from those skinny little stems," says Perez. She suggests putting each blossom face-down in room-temperature water and letting it soak that way for 20 minutes. Then shake the floret out and remove any foliage; otherwise, the leaves will hog all the vase water.

If you don't have access to a wholesale flower market, don't worry. You can still buy quality buds in bulk at costco.com, says George, and they're a downright steal! (Only $99.99 for 100 roses, including shipping and handling)