A couple of weeks ago I had a pleasure of attending an exclusive floral event organized by WSJ+ in partnership with Robbie Honey a well known florist. At this event, Robbie Honey shared with the public the secrets of beautifully designed flower arrangements, and here I will present the best of them.

But before I move on to the tips I would like to thank the organizers for bringing together such an unusual crowd, ranging from engineers, financial analytics to creative designers all sharing a passion for flowers.

As if a famous presenter and lovely attendants were not enough the venue was stunning as well just look at the view.

Robbie Honey, wjs+, Talk: The Power of Beautiful Flowers, David Austine roses, rose Darcey, peonies, cabbage roses

And a bit of flower photography

Robbie Honey, wjs+, Talk: The Power of Beautiful Flowers, David Austine roses, rose Darcey, peonies, cabbage roses
Robbie Honey, wjs+, Talk: The Power of Beautiful Flowers, David Austine roses, rose Darcey, peonies, cabbage roses
Robbie Honey, wjs+, Talk: The Power of Beautiful Flowers, David Austine roses, rose Darcey, peonies, cabbage roses
Robbie Honey, wjs+, Talk: The Power of Beautiful Flowers, David Austine roses, rose Darcey, peonies, cabbage roses
Robbie Honey, wjs+, Talk: The Power of Beautiful Flowers, David Austine roses, rose Darcey, peonies, cabbage roses

Now lets go back to the main thing – Floristy tips from Robbie Honey!

During the event we were taken through the basic skills and theories needed to create the perfect composition and also shown how to put them into practice. Here is a list that I compiled during the event.

1. Before you start an arrangement make sure that you have a color palette in your head

2. Don’t shy away from using bold colors and textures like David Hicks (English interior decorator and designer)

3. Start with bigger flowers as it helps to create the structure

4. Keep building up and don’t be afraid to get it wrong as it’s almost impossible to make a mistake with beautiful flowers

6 If you feel that some of the flowers are not in the right place you can ease some flowers out or push them in in order to get a good looking arrangement

5. When making spiral bouquet, don’t forget that you can shake it up and louse it up for the natural wild look

6. Use mirrors to make sure that your creation looks good from all angles

7. Cut stems at a diagonal angle, so more water can travel up the stem

8. In case your flowers don’t look happy use this technique to bring them back to life

9. Oasis is marvelous for event work where you can’t use water and you need to travel with flowers easily. Secure the soaked foam in your chosen container using waterproof floral tape.

10. Use plenty of wild foliage like hazel and mint. Work with the different colors, shapes and textures of flowers and foliage, using them in unusual ways. And more importantly, always be creative!

Robbie Honey, wjs+, Talk: The Power of Beautiful Flowers, David Austine roses, rose Darcey, peonies, cabbage roses