4 Easy Tips For A Whimsical Flower Arrangement

If you love the look of a free-flowing whimsical flower arrangement, it’s easier than you’d think to create one on your own! You don’t need a pro floral designer to do this for you, you can easily create a DIY whimsical floral arrangement during any season of the year.

Of course, if you have the best blooms in your own garden throughout spring and summer, it makes the job even easier! But you can still carry these tips with you when you’re creating a fall or winter floral arrangement too (plus a quick trip to a local floral shop is a nice change of scenery in the middle of winter 😉 ).

Here are 5 easy tips for a whimsical flower arrangement.

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions and recommendations are my own.

Simple Tips For Creating A Whimsical Flower Arrangement

1.) Less Is More (In Terms Of Thinking!) – The beauty of a whimsical flower arrangement is that it is NOT structured, it is NOT formal, so you do NOT need to overthink here! (Isn’t that a relief?!). Don’t worry so much about which flowers should be paired next to other flowers. Don’t stress about whether your flower height arrangement is “correct”. Keep the floral design free-flowing and trust your inner artistic talent. This is your opportunity to be creative and play.

2.) More Is More (In Terms Of Flowers and Greenery!)– When you envision a whimsical flower arrangement, it probably does not consist of a dozen long-stemmed red roses, right? Whimsical flower arrangements have a mix of flowers, textures and colors. You have a chance to play with flowers and greenery here. Don’t shy away from choosing 6-9 different varieties if you so wish!

Consider my 3-3-3 floral design: 3 types of greenery stems, 3 fuller blooms, and 3 wispy blooms. For example, 3 greenery stems could be: Boxwood clippings, Wintercreeper clippings, and any variety of Ferns. 3 “fuller blooms” that tend to be the star of the show could be Garden Roses, Hydrangeas, or Ranunculus. 3 wispy flowers could be Snapdragons, Baptisia, and Scabiosa. You could also use common “filler flowers” such as Baby’s Breath, Queen Anne’s Lace, Lily of the Valley, or elegant white Carnations. Green Hydrangeas are also fantastic at playing both the role of a “fuller bloom” as well as a “greenery”. It helps to stick to a general color palette- but there is lots of flexibility using a high mix of flowers (you can see in my pictures pops of coral, pink, green, fuchsia, white, and gold/yellow, and it still works!).

3.) Visualize That Cottage Garden- This step helps so much when creating a whimsical flower arrangement- I promise! Close your eyes, and envision a cottage garden. You’re walking down a pea gravel path in a quaint village in England and what catches your eye? Tall Larkspur, flowing Russian Sage, pretty pops of soft pink English Roses. Maybe it’s springtime and there are Tulips, Hyacinths, and Baptisia…

When you think of whimsical, the design element is more in line with that of a cottage garden. It isn’t rigid. It allows you to look around and say “ooh I like that! And that flower! And these blooms over here!”. Carry that mentality into your floral arrangement. It may sound silly, but it’s a helpful tip that gets you in the right state of mind to CREATE.

4.) Play With Height- Whimsical flower designs tend to be asymmetrical and organic in shape with lots of movement and depth. Adding on to that cottage garden visualization, where you have tall and wispy blooms weaving in and out, the same goes for a whimsical flower arrangement. Play with height a bit by adding some tall blooms, some bloom clusters here and there, and lots of filler draping over the edge of the vase, planter or container. Varying heights make the blooms appear to “dance” and create that playful feel.

What are some favorite flowers for a whimsical floral arrangement?

Whimsical floral arrangements work with the availability of seasonal flowers to create a delicate arrangement that has both a timeless beauty and a light, fresh, and fun feel to them. There are iconic flowers that work wonderfully in this cottage style floral arrangement, but there are countless varieties of flowers you can choose from.

Some top favorite flowers for a whimsical floral arrangement are the following:

White Stock
Delphinium
Ranunculus
Garden Rose / English Rose
Tulips
Anemone
Dianthus
Queen Anne’s Lace
Baby’s Breath
Forget Me Not
White Sweet Pea
Lilly of the Valley
Snapdragons
White, Blue, or Pink Hydrangea
Green Hydrangea
White Gomphrena / Globe Amaranth
Russian Sage
Baptisia
Scabiosa
Phlox
Spirea
Ferns
Lavender
Catmint
Lilac
Eucalyptus
Dusty Miller
Boxwwod
Wintercreeper
Ivy
Pink Stock
Green Kermit Button Poms
Fuchsia Gerberas
Light Blue Delphinium
Bells of Ireland
Purple, Light Blue, Pastel or Fuchsia Statice
Dwarf / Miniature Myrtle
Leather leaf Fern
White Hypericum (*These are a FAVORITE for a gorgeous winter floral arrangement!)
White Spider Mums
Variegated Aspidistra