Building an arrangement — the seven-step routine

This is the order to build in. Skip steps and you'll fight your own arrangement.

1. Choose your vase and put mechanics in place (chicken wire / kenzan / tape grid). Fill 2/3 with vase water + recipe.

2. Add foliage first. Place 5–7 stems of leaves (eucalyptus, beech, smoke bush, herb tops) so they form a low fan around the vase rim. This is the green scaffolding everything else will sit in.

3. Add line stems next — the tallest verticals. 1–3 stems, placed slightly off-centre.

4. Add focal flowers third. 3–5 stems, asymmetrically placed (rule of thirds). Vary heights slightly — don't lay them all at the same level.

5. Add filler flowers fourth. 5–10 stems, threading them between the focals to soften the gaps.

6. Add accent / texture last. 3–7 stems of seedheads, grasses, herb flowers. These break the outline and make the arrangement feel found rather than placed.

7. Step back. Photograph on your phone. Edit — remove 1–2 stems if it feels crowded. Stop while you still want to add one more, not when you've added too many.