Easy Arrangement

If you don’t grow your own flowers, purchase what you need from a local market. Follow Michelle’s steps to put together a wonderful bouquet.
1. Choose several stems of the same flower for the biggest impact and to direct the color palette. Here, she began with summer phlox.
2. Holding them in your hand, surround the blooms with foliage. Michelle used Persian shields for additional color and asparagus fern for texture.
3. Cut the stems straight across, all the same length.
4. Wrap an elastic band around the base to keep the flowers in place.



"Bountiful Blooms" is from the August 2008 issue of Southern Living.