One of my favorite little luxuries has to be fresh flowers. A little bouquet on my desk or on my kitchen table makes me smile every time I look at it. I used to not buy them, simply because it seemed wasteful, but over time I learned that it was the gift of fresh flowers. Their beauty is fleeting, which makes every moment special. I always take a bouquet with my weekly shopping at Trader Joe’s.
My love for grocery store flowers recently came across my Instagram scroll as a reel of @a_trader_joes_florist appeared on my page. The video featured a beautiful bouquet of fluffy pink garden roses that were completely stunning and much more elaborate than any bouquets I had made myself. I was stunned when I realized it was an entire page dedicated to Trader Joe’s flower arrangements. Instant tracking.
Trader Joe’s Floral Arrangements: How to Design Flowers on a Budget
Rachel is the florist behind this inspiring account. Sharing your love of floral arrangements on Instagram started as a hobby, and has now grown into a page with over 200,000 followers. It’s amazing how she transforms grocery store flowers into professional-looking arrangements, and her goal is to encourage others to try them themselves. “Flowers are fleeting, so some of the pressure to get it right is gone,” she shares. “They won’t last forever, so have a good time because you can make another one.” This is a good thing in everyday life.
Rachel generously shared all her tips and tricks for creating beautiful Trader Joe’s floral arrangements. Read on for everything about floral design: from picking, preparing, arranging, and keeping your flowers fresh.
Choosing flowers
Arrive early at Trader Joe’s
As they say, the early bird catches the worm, and Rachel suggests heading to Trader Joe’s at opening time to get the best flowers of the day. “My Trader Joe’s gets new flowers every day, so it helps to get there as soon as they open,” she says. Check in with the employees at your own Trader Joes and ask them when they receive their flower shipments and how often they refresh the floral aisle. “Trader Joe’s employees are generally very friendly and will be more than happy to let you know when new flowers have arrived,” Rachel continues.
Navigate with an open mind
While you might think that the first step in flower arranging is deciding what type of bouquet you want, it’s a little different when it comes to grocery store flowers. “I find it harder to go to Trader Joe’s with a specific mission or idea,” Rachel says. “It’s a supermarket, so you never know what will be available.” Instead, it’s best to walk into your Trader Joe’s with an open mind. Rachel suggests walking the aisles without having a concrete plan first and noticing what catches your eye.
“I usually start with a band or two that I like. Maybe they look incredibly fresh, it’s a color I love, or it’s a unique flower I love. I start there and put that in my basket,” she says. She will then look for other bouquets that complement the main flower. This is a wonderful opportunity to let your creativity shine. Don’t be afraid to put a bunch of bouquets in your basket and mix and match them to see what looks good on you.
Color, texture and scale
Rachel has a rule of three that she considers when sailing. “Color, texture and scale are the three elements I look for when arranging,” she shares. A good example of three flowers that encompass them are ranunculus, spray roses and calla lilies. “Ranunculus are soft and delicate, spray roses have more structure, and calla lilies have the most structure. Sizing works too. It gives you a fun range,” she says.
Rachel has made many bouquets with these three flowers, and they are always a hit. “I’ve made arrangements in hot pink, dark purple and bright orange and they all work together really well,” she exclaims.
Go monochrome
If you don’t know where to start with your arrangement, go monochrome. “If everything is the same color, you can think more about texture and scale from the start,” Rachel suggests. Be on the lookout for flowers in similar colors like pinks, peaches or purples and don’t worry if they aren’t exactly the same color. “The flowers are pretty!” Your arrangements will never look terrible. It’s like anything else: the more you do it, the better you get. Keep having fun! Rachel encourages him.
Prepare the flowers
Remove all leaves
Before throwing your flowers into a vase, it is important to prepare the flowers first. Rachel suggests putting your flowers in water as soon as you get home and giving yourself plenty of time to prepare and arrange them. “Preparing the flowers is the most time-consuming part,” she shares.
Once you are ready to prepare the flower, the first step is to remove the leaves. “I take them all off. You can leave some on top if you want, but you definitely need to remove the bottom leaves,” says Rachel. Letting the leaves sit in water causes bacteria to grow and can emit a foul odor, so it’s best to throw them away.
Cut the stems
Cutting the stems at a 45-degree angle will keep your flowers happy and hydrated. If you’re placing your flowers in a vase, Rachel has a tip for making sure you cut them to the right height. “If you turn the flowers over next to your vase, you can see where the stems line up at the top, and you can then cut them off there,” she shares.
While you’re cutting, Rachel also suggests keeping the stems and leaves just above the package the flowers come in. “This may seem obvious, but open the package and keep the scraps on the plastic. At the end of your arrangement, you can bag it up and throw it away for easy cleanup.
Arrange flowers
Start from the outside and work your way inward
When arranging flowers for a vase, Rachel suggests starting with the flowers at the edge of the vase and working your way inward. “When I start to fill in the middle, I’ll keep these stems a little longer, to create a dome. shape at the top,” she explains. Once your flower bouquet begins to take shape, Rachel uses greenery to fill in the gaps. “I save the greenery for last as a little accent. Traditional florists usually use greenery as a base for flowers, but personally I like less greenery and more flowers.
Be gentle with the stems
Rachel will also make bouquets as gifts for loved ones and even offers a tutorial for cutting up a Trader Joe’s paper bag to use as packaging. For this type of bouquet, she arranges the flowers on a flat surface. “I’ll place two flowers in a cross shape, then put a flower in the middle and I’ll keep layering them,” she says. “You have to be gentle. The stems get tangled as you cross them over each other. If you have a tulip stem or something more delicate, you don’t want it to get crushed.
Caring for your flowers
Refresh every two days
Flowers are living things, and taking care of your bouquet will help keep them fresh and blooming for as long as possible. Rachel suggests coming in with your flowers every 48 hours. “Change the water and cut the stems every two days, it’s very important,” she says. This is also a great time to pull out some flowers that may be having difficulty. It’s normal for some flowers to last longer than others, and removing those that are less worn will help the fresher flowers last a little longer.
Add Flower Food
Your flowers will come with a small packet of flower food, and Rachel highly recommends this. Do not use it at the same time. “Flower food works. You don’t have to put the whole package in at once,” she shares. Instead, add a little each time you change the water and cut the stems. “I found that adding flower food doesn’t affect how long the flowers last, but how well they open,” she says. “If you put in flower food, the flowers will open more, although they will last about the same time without it.”