How to Create a Simple Carnation Flower Arrangement

Orange pink and red carnations

Created by: Tara Kuczykowski, Unsophisticook

This stunningly simple carnation flower arrangement is nearly effortless. Trimming down the stems and using a low, round bubble vase shows off these blooms to perfect. All you need is a sharp pair of floral shears and about five minutes of time!

Choosing your Carnations

The number of blooms you’ll need depends on the size of your bubble vase and the size of the flowers. I have a larger vase that’s about 6.5-­‐inches tall with roughly a 5-­‐ inch opening, so I grabbed 2 dozen carnations from Kroger’s floral department. Talkabout a steal! The lighter pink carnations were $6 for the dozen, and I found the darker pink ones with the markdowns priced at just $2.99.

Preparing your Carnations

Start by trimming each carnation so that it’s just slightly taller than your vase. Use a sharp pair of floral shears for a clean cut, and trim at an angle to allow the flower to take up plenty of water. Blooms that haven’t quite opened up all the way can be gently coaxed outward with your fingertips.

You'll also want to remove any leaves that will be below the water line, which usually ends up being just about all of them. This will help keep your carnations looking beautiful longer.

Arranging your Carnations

Choose the largest, fluffiest bloom for the center of your bouquet. Add the rest of the carnations around it, alternating sides and criss-­‐crossing the stems.

I started with the darker pink flowers, and set them in the vase after I was satisfied with the bouquet. As I mentioned, 12 flowers wasn’t enough to fill out my larger bubble vase, so from there I tucked the lighter pink blooms in between the darker ones until I was satisfied with the overall appearance. I happen to adore the two-­‐ toned look, but one solid color is equally impressive.

Flowers that are around the edges of the vase may need trimmed slightly to maintain a domed shape, but don’t overthink it. The beauty of this simple carnation flower arrangement is that it’s not too structured and fussy

Caring for your carnation flower arrangement

Carnation arrangements require very little care to keep them looking beautiful for days and even weeks. Just add water as needed and change the water completely every 4-­‐5 days. Finally, try to keep your arrangement away from drafts, direct sun and/or excessive heat.