Summer is in full bloom and there are so many great flowers available this time of year. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at designing your own floral centerpiece, this watermelon bouquet is a great place to start! 

You’ll need:

• 1/2 Watermelon, scooped out
• Floral Foam, presoaked in water
• Floral Tape or Skinny Duct Tape
• Floral Knife or Shears 
• Floral Greenery – I used Leather Leaf and Salal (Lemon Leaf) in my arrangement! 
• 1 Dozen Red Roses
• 5 Pink Carnations
• 5 Stems Kermit Button Mums
• 3-5 Stems Baby’s Breath

You can use any colors of the flowers that you prefer, make it your own and have fun with it! Here’s a few tips to keep in mind as you’re creating your masterpiece. 

1. Determine where the front of your centerpiece will be. Although you’ll push the stems into the center of the foam, you’ll want to angle the leaves or flowers slightly towards the front of the design to get the best view. 
2. When you’re putting the stems in the foam, remember it’s not very forgiving! So once you stick it in, leave it there. Be mindful of where you’re putting it beforehand. 
3. Strip away the extra leaves on the stems of the flowers. Those tend to die off first and grow bacteria making them mushy. By removing them you’ll allow for more air flow and your design will last much longer! 
4. If you have extra baby’s breath left over, you can put that in a vase with water and they’ll stay good for a long time so you could use them in a future arrangement as well. 
5. You can also use any left over items by creating a second, smaller version of your bouquet!  Repeat the same process using a green pepper, just use much smaller pieces of greenery and the smallest mum buds so it’s proportional to the pepper. 

I hope these tips will help you succeed with your DIY floral projects! They’re the perfect addition to summertime parties and will get you LOTS of compliments from your friends and family! 

Ashley 
Floral Manager, Sauk Rapids