Sweetheart Bouquets: DIY Valentine's Arrangements That Impress

What's your valentine's pleasure? Long-stemmed red roses from the florist? Camellia blossoms or branches of sweetly scented Chinese witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis) from your garden? Or your own mix-and-match arrangement of flowers purchased at the local grocery store?

Any bouquet can bring a smile. And if you arrange the flowers yourself—a less expensive proposition than a florist's creation—you'll have a guaranteed heart-warmer.

Tips for a Standout Bouquet

• Match flower colors to the vase. For the arrangement pictured, we chose a square vase of red glass, then bought flowers to match. Red tulips echo the vase color; pink tulips and white Queen Anne's lace fill in around them. Pink Oriental lilies splashed with red add punch, and variegated 'Needlepoint' ivy softens vase edges.
• Mix flower sizes and shapes. Buy or cut the bulk of your flowers in smaller sizes for the supporting cast, and use as few as three or four stems of larger flowers (such as Oriental lilies) as the stars.
• Prolong flower life. Plunge stem ends into a bowl of hot water, keeping them submerged as you cut off the stem ends with pruning shears (make diagonal cuts).
• Arrange in order. Place the ivy fringe first, then the supporting cast of flowers, and finally the stars.