LINE FLOWERS: are tall, and as the name implies, give your bouquet height, width, and a balanced look. Branches and tall foliage can serve as line flowers. Most line flowers have buds growing up a center stalk. Examples of line flowers are: gladiolas, liatris, snapdragons, delphinium, tuberose, veronica, curly willow, bells-of-ireland, stock.

TIP: Line flowers, by themselves, look striking when placed in a tall cylindrical vase.

MASS FLOWERS will give your bouquet weight - or mass - and are generally round and full faced. Sometimes they are referred to as "face" flowers. They are usually the focal point of color and interest in a bouquet. Most mass flowers come with only one flower on the end of the stem. Examples of mass flowers are: rose, carnation, gerbera, sunflower, lily, daffodil, tulip, iris, freesia, zinnia, alstroemeria, protea, chrysanthemum.

TIP: Mass flowers are a good choice for a simple, quick vase full of flowers and are often sold in bunches.

FILLER FLOWERS (stems with a lot of little flowers) and foliage will round out your bouquet and give it a soft, full look. Casual, fresh from the garden bouquets use an abundance of filler flowers to visually connect mass and line flowers.

TIP: Just a few sprigs of filler flowers, alone in a vase, can give a sense of simple elegance to any room, and many filler flowers are good candidates for drying.

LOOSE FLOWERS IN A VASE:

Fill your clean vase with water containing floral food.

Strip stems so that no leaves will be covered by water.

Cut stems to about twice the height of your vase, leaving several stems an inch or two longer for the center of your bouquet.

First insert stems of foliage and filler flowers. Criss-cross the stems as you insert them in your vase. This will create a grid that will help hold the other flowers in place.

Starting at the rim of your vase and working toward the center, add other flowers, spacing them as if they were points on a triangle.

Place the longest stems in the center of your bouquet.

Stand back and review your bouquet, making adjustments if needed.

TIP: Start with marbles or small pebbles in your vase for extra stem support, or simply to give a favorite vase a new look.

THE BUD VASE:

This simple design can bring the scent and beauty of flowers into every room of your home. Plus, it's an economical way to try out new and different flowers!

Select a narrow necked vase and fill with water.

Cut flower stem to about twice the height of your vase. Strip stem so that no leaves will be covered by water. Place flower in vase.

To give added support and beauty, add a stem or two of linear foliage or a curly twig.

Last, to give your bud vase an elegant, balanced look, insert a few leaves at the rim of the vase.

TIP: Be imaginative with bud vases! Beautiful perfume bottles, recycled spice jars, or antique apothecary bottles can all hold a stem or two of flowers.

TIP: Bud vases can make inexpensive, personalized gifts. Select a favorite flower and place it in a "collectable" vase. Or to dress up a plain vase, simply wrap a pretty ribbon around the neck.

Source: California Cut Flower Commission