Autumn hand-tied bouquet: what to look out for

As the evenings draw in, and the leaves begin to change, you can almost taste autumn in the air. The season still offers many beautiful blooms for birthdays, anniversaries and thank yous. And an autumn hand-tied bouquet is the perfect way to reflect the organic, natural vibe of the season.

As an independent London-based florist, we know a thing or two about creating floral delights in the autumn months. Here we share tips on DIYing a bouquet, our favourite flowers, and some of our most popular bouquet designs:

How to create your own hand-tied bouquet

Preparation is the key to achieving a cohesive look. As well as mastering rotating your design. Here are some key tips:

1. Condition any flowers and foliage you plan to use. Stand them in a cool place, out of direct sunlight, for several hours. You also need to strip all the leaves and re-cut the stems. The RHS have a great guide on conditioning cut flowers. 

2. Lay out everything you need within arm's reach. This includes floral shears or sharp scissors and twine to bind your arrangement. Once you start, you need to keep going!

3. Pick one stem at a time and hold it in one hand.

4. With the other, pick another stem and add it to your arrangement.

5. Remember to rotate your arrangement as you go, alternating flowers and foliage.

6. Want to create a 'dome' shape? Trim stems to different heights, adjusting as you go.

7. Finish by wrapping the stem together in twine.

How to keep your autumn bouquet looking its best

1. Always put your flowers in a clean vase

2. Add flower food, which will help feed the flowers and keep the water clean

3. Cut flowers get very thirsty! So make sure to check the water levels every two days or so.

4. You can top up water as and when needed. But it's best to change the water completely every two to four days.

5. When you change the water, also make sure to trim the flower and foliage stems by a centimetre or two. This is so they can better soak up the vase's water.

Tip: In autumn, central heating and fires will cause flowers to wilt more quickly. If possible, place your vase away from heat sources.

Beautiful blooms for autumnal flair

Need some inspo about what to include in your bouquet? Here are some recommendations, used in our favourite autumnal designs:

Berries

Adding berries to a bouquet gives some autumnal texture to the design. They can also pick out other colours, as with the 'Red Passion' freesias in this bouquet:

Cranleigh Red And Peach Bouquet 

Hydrangeas

In recent years, hydrangeas have seen a revival in popularity in both floristry and garden design. The Victorians thought they symbolised arrogance and vanity. We prefer the Japanese interpretation of gratitude. As florists, we are forever grateful for their architectural shape and huge blooms.

Common varieties include panicle, smooth, oakleaf, and French. We use lime-coloured hydrangeas in our Midnight Magic bouquet:

Midnight Magic Bouquet

Roses

Don't tell the other flowers, but roses are our favourite! Their versatility and elegance are unsurpassed. In the UK roses can bloom until December, even surviving the first frosts.

We love to mix large-headed roses with other blooms to create a tension in our design. For our All The Reasons bouquet, pink roses play off against pale orange and pink carnations. This colour palette works especially well in the softer light of autumn:

All The Reasons Bouquet

Chrysanthemums

Or 'mums' as the Americans call them. Chrysanthemums may be tough to spell, but they really pack a punch with their vibrancy. They are also very long-lasting.

In our Portobello Road bouquet, we group a kaleidoscope of colours together to reflect the rainbow houses found in London's iconic Notting Hill neighbourhood:

Portobello Road Bouquet

Need an autumn hand-tied bouquet for next day delivery?

We offer next day flower delivery for our luxury floral arrangements. We use either FedEx or Yodel tracked service. Order your autumn hand tied bouquet before 3pm, and we will deliver it the next day.

About Chelsea Florals

We are an independent, family-run business delivering hand tied bouquets across the UK. Behind every bouquet name lies a story, inspired by England, favourite holiday spots or royalty.

We carefully source seasonal flowers of the highest quality in our bouquets, following the design as closely as the month will allow.

Browse our full bouquet collection