What Tools Do You Need?

When it comes to making beautiful bouquets, flowers are only part of the equation. To make your best floral arrangements, you must have the right tools. Here’s a shortlist of what you should have on hand as you start.
Floral Clippers
All floral stylists know how necessary sharp tools are. You’ll want to secure a pair of floral clippers for trimming stems, removing excess foliage, and taking off spent blossoms to keep the bouquet looking its best. Skip standard household scissors for this task, as you’ll quickly dull the blade and cramp your fingers.
Flower Frog
Also known as kenzan, flower frogs are a traditional way to hold stems in place for ikebana flower arrangements. These “frogs” look like little pincushions with pins facing upward that secure the flower stems in place. This makes it possible to get precise angles with every stem, even when you aren’t using enough for them to support each other.
Gardener’s Gloves
Many of the most beautiful blooms come with stems covered in thorns. Protect your hands from potential irritation by wearing quality garden gloves. They can also prevent you from accidentally snipping your fingers with your pruners.
Watering Can
All floral arrangements will benefit from frequent watering, so why not make a watering can part of the display? Consider a polished metal design that will look at home on your bookshelf when not in use.
Chicken Wire
This simple tool is surprisingly versatile for flower arrangements. Chicken wire is flexible and easy to bend into whatever shape you need to add extra structure to your arrangement, especially when using irregularly shaped containers.
It’s also worth keeping regular wire on hand, as it’s useful for strengthening and lengthening weak stems. Many florists use it as their secret weapon to prevent premature drooping.
Ties
Keep some floral wire, twine, and rubber bands on hand to tie up any loose ends on your bouquets. You’ll find dozens of ways to put them to work, and they can make the difference in achieving a more put-together final look.
Floral Picks
If you have heavy flowers that need some extra support, floral picks can provide the necessary structure. Most are made from wood or plastic and are dyed green to blend in with the stems. You simply wrap the picks to the flowers that need a little more lift, and no one will be the wiser.
Thorn Stripper
If you tend to deal with roses and other prickly plants, a thorn stripper is well worth having. Designed to travel along a flower’s entire stem, this device removes everything from thorns to leaves for an elegant (and painless) look.
Note: Removing thorns can reduce the lifespan of some cut flowers by creating a wound for bacteria to enter.
Floral Tape
A sturdy, waterproof floral tape is a versatile tool for flower arranging. It remains sticky in wet and cold conditions, making it ideal for keeping plants in place. Use it to create grids across the top of your vase and to secure the bases of delicate stems that might start splitting in the water.
Floral Foam
Typically green, floral foam is the modern equivalent of a flower frog. It works to keep flowers in place and helps them stay hydrated over the life of the bouquet. One negative: Most floral foam is single-use.
Flower Food
For really long-lasting bouquets, regular water won’t cut it. Sprinkle some flower food into the water to increase their lifespan by days, even weeks. Most contain three main components: a biocide to prevent fungus, water-soluble nutrients, and an acidifier to balance the pH of the water.