6 steps for creating a beautiful daffodil bouquet

Daffodils – those dainty darlings of springtime – can be bundled into beautiful bouquets. Here are six simple steps for creating a beautiful bouquet for almost any occasion.

Daffodils (also known as narcissus) are beautiful spring and early summer flowers. They're also a pretty and inexpensive flower to use when making a bouquet – whether it's for your own wedding, Mother's Day, a special birthday or "just because". Here are the six steps to creating a stunning hand-held daffodil bouquet that will look just as gorgeous when you walk down the aisle as when you give them to mom.

Choose daffodils with good, healthy blooms and intact stems from your local florist, supermarket, or garden.

• Remove any extra leaves and foliage from each stem before you begin.

To create the bouquet, choose the largest, most perfect bloom for the centre.

• Hold it in one hand, then add additional flowers, framing the centre one.
• Try adding various coloured daffodils or other complementary flowers.
• Each time you add a flower, point the bloom towards yourself and then rotate the bouquet.

This helps create the round shape you’re after.

When you are happy with the size and shape of your bouquet, secure the stems with a rubber band or floral tape.

• Secure it near the neck of the flowers so the blooms don’t droop to keep the round, symmetrical bouquet shape.
• Once that is complete, secure the middle section of the stems as well with a rubber band or floral tape.

Trim the ends of the stems to the length you’d like the entire bouquet to be, while running them under water to give them an extra drink.

• Gently pat the stems dry with a paper towel and then spray the actual flowers with a light misting of water.

Now comes the really fun part!

Cover the rubber band or floral tape in the middle of the stem to create the “handle” for your bouquet. Some suggested decorating tips are:

• Wrap silk ribbon (to match your dress if it's for a wedding) around the rubber band or floral tape and secure with round-headed pins.
• Choose decorative pins that match the buttons or details on your dress.
• Add a string of vintage pearls or a vintage brooch to the front of the handle.
• Play with textures by wrapping twine over the silk.
• Flip the script by covering the rubber band or floral tape with a small piece of burlap and adding silk ribbon or lace for a soft accent.

If the bouquet isn't for a wedding, you could always select brightly-coloured silk ribbon instead, and decorate the bouquet according to the occasion and the recipient's personality and style. Let your imagination run wild!

Be sure to place your bouquet in a small amount of water overnight and keep it cool.

• Daffodils wilt quite quickly after being punctured by the decorative pins, so schedule a time close to the wedding to make the bouquet.
• If the bouquet won't be used in a wedding and doesn't have decorative pins, timing isn't as crucial. However, you should still put it in water after you've made it, even if you intend the recipient to keep the bouquet in a water-filled vase.

Whether you chose to create it for yourself or to give away for a special occasion, nothing says springtime more than the bright colours and heavenly scent of freshly-picked daffodils, especially when they're in an attractive bouquet that you made yourself!