Step 3: Choose Your Color Palette
The color of the greenery sets the tone for the rest of the arrangement, as it should complement the hues in the flowers. Missaghi says rich, dark greens, like huckleberry and Italian ruscus, pair wonderfully with the deep tones of the berry color family; pale greens, like eucalyptus, pair with pastel florals. When bringing in a variety of floral colors into the same bouquet, Missaghi recommends using a color wheel as your cheat sheet. She typically chooses colors next to each other on the color wheel—like pink and purple—complementary colors, such as purple and yellow, or various shades of the same color. She also plays with the different color tones found in the flowers—say, playing off the yellow center of one flower with yellow petals on another.
Step 4: Add Variety and Depth
Beyond the color palette, Missaghi also uses a formula to bring in different types and sizes of flowers. “I always include the focal flower, filler flowers, textural elements, a linear flower and then … I call them floaters, [but] anything with movement,” she says. This variety in blossom size, height, texture, movement and placement gives a bouquet visual depth, resulting in an arrangement that feels organic and totally unique.