Hello! Please let me share some tips to make a beautiful flower arrangement or Ikebana: the Japanese art of flower arranging. The most important thing is 
Flowers Yes, fresh flowers! When you try Ikebana, leaves and stems play a role so lines of stems and shapes and colors of leaves important.
If you observe flowers day by day, you can tell which flowers are fresh and just displayed.The color is vivid and stems and leaves are green. Petals also seems thick to hold water inside. Once flowers are cut from soil, they start dehydrating from petals, leaves and stems. At first it’s not so easy to tell the differences but you will after a while if you keep observing flowers.
Water When you bring flowers home, please prepare clear water in a bowl where you should cut the stems under the water with a little flower food. Please don’t put too much.
Leaves Before cut, please take off leaves which will be under the water.( In Ikebana leaves play important roles, so leave them above the water. In Flower design you may take all leaves. Just think if you will use some leaves or not). Leaves help with growing bacteria in the water. Then cut the stems diagonally . This way stems absorb water well.
Shower I often give water all over, flowers, leaves like shower. Hydrangea loves water so the I shower or immerse flowers into water for a while. Roses love water so I bathe roses for 10 minutes.Please try this way when flowers look wilted! But some flowers don’t like shower. Roses and Hydrangea. I tried Bird of Paradise but they didn’t like shower.
Keep in water Then when you start arranging, please put water with flower food in the vase and flowers to use are also in the bowl or bucket. Please do not get dehydrated while you are thinking.
So when I have Ikebana class, I spend time to prepare flowers. I never give flowers and branches as I purchase at flower shops. Well prepared flowers live longer.
Give a little more LOVE them. They will love you and live longer! Enjoy Arranging flowers!