Using Herbs in Bouquets and Arrangements

When you grow herbs, it's easy to find ways to use them. They can be an embarrassment of riches. In addition to including them in your cooking and crafting projects, and employing them in your home remedies, herbs make great bouquets. They're fragrant and subtly beautiful. Even in leaf, they can add green shading to your fresh arrangements.

One of my favorite ways to use and display herbs is with whatever flowers are growing in my garden. I grow lots of herbs and plant flower varieties that, with luck, provide blooms and greenery three seasons of the year.

I'm not a dedicated flower person, but I do rely on roses, lilies, peonies, and azaleas, as well as brief favorites, like tulips and daffodils to serve up some color. The rest I try to do with herbs and decorative grasses.

Making an Herb and Flower Arrangement

I typically choose a strong stemmed herb, like rosemary or sage, and use it as a base. I place stems around the lip of my container on a diagonal. Using this method, the stems on the bottom of the container will start to take on a teepee shape. This makes an effective foundation because they'll act as a support for the flowers and soft stemmed herbs, like thyme, oregano and mint, that I'll add later. Before I add each stem, I cut the bottom at a 45 degree angle to maximize water uptake. If you cut the stems while they're under water in your sink, they'll be less likely to have air gaps at the cut that will inhibit water uptake.

I place flowers in the container next, turning the vase as I go so they'll be distributed evenly. I try for odd numbered quantities of the most visible flower varieties. This is a common aesthetic often employed by florists. 

When I use lots of herbs, I like to keep the flowers in the display pretty sedate. Tone on tone usually works pretty well for me. I'm not a daredevil. Some of the photos here are  flamboyant examples you might want to explore, though.

After I create something that looks good, I fill in the open spots with smaller, fine leafed herbs. I try to make texture the most dramatic element of the display, but roses are hard to top in an arrangement. If I have lots of different herbs to show off, I'll keep the flowers to a minimum.

Maintaining Herb Arrangements

Cleanliness - During assembly, I remove any herb or flower leaves below the water line of the container to reduce bacterial growth.  I also use tepid, not cold, water and replace the water daily. If I have distilled water, I'll use that instead of tap water because it's neutral and bacteria free. Oh, I also sanitize my containers by rinsing them with bleach, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide or salt water.

Feeding - To feed the blooms, I add an aspirin, but I'm not above asking for additional flower packets when I do buy cut flowers. I hoard this cut flower food for my own arrangements.

Herb Arrangement Options I Enjoy

I use what I have, but some of my favorites are:

• Sage, marigold and oregano
  
  
• Roses, rosemary, thyme and lavender
  
  
• Lavender, iris, mint and tansy
  
  
• Lavender, woodruff and rosemary

I'm sure you get the idea. Experimenting is the best part. I usually get five to eight days from an arrangement. The combined fragrances are very nice on a kitchen or dining or bedside.

Dried Herbs and Flowers

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