Put sturdy pieces from your china cabinet to good use by stacking platters, bowls, plates, and other serving items atop a garden or hall table. Fill containers with water and bedeck with seasonal blooms. Choosing Your China: Dust off wares with wide bases and those made from sturdy materials like ceramic, stone, or weighty glass. Most pieces in your tower should be shaped to hold water, so choose platters or plates with angled sides. Smaller containers and those with irregular openings can be used atop larger surfaces to create height, asymmetry, or just added interest. Also, you might forgo building one tall tower in favor of a trio of smaller ones. A Tall Order How to ensure your tower is standing when the last guest leaves? Build it on a sturdy spot in a low-traffic area, such as a table against a wall, on a large windowsill, or in a quiet corner of your garden. Materials:
A selection of favorite flowers (we used mini calla lilies, freesia, snapdragons, gerber daisies in varying sizes, tulips, and roses) and five to 15 pieces of servingware, depending on the height and variety you desire.
Step 1
Trial and Error: Start building by primarily using items with broad bases, keeping an eye on what color combos look best. Tip: use taller vases inside slightly shorter bowls to create openings for flowers.
Step 2
Create a Viable Tower: Complete the tower using your ideal combinations of colors and shapes while ensuring it will hold a good number of flowers. Take a photo or draw a sketch to record the placement of your wares.
Step 3
Disassemble & Fill With Water: Carefully deconstruct the tower and lay the pieces out on the table. Rebuild, pouring water into the vessels as you go.
Step 4
Add the Flowers: Clip the flowers and place in vessels one at a time. Continue to fill out the containers using a variety of different blooms until you have a loose arrangement that you like. Tip: use flowers with thinner stems, like freesia, for small openings within the stacks.
Step 5
Pile High: Finish by filling a small vessel at the top with flowers that will stand upright to maintain the tower’s shape and to further heighten the arrangement.
