6 Summery Flower (& Food) Arrangements for Every Style

The floral designer behind this epic garland of bay leaves, Emily Thompson shares arrangements that embody all the styles you can browse in our Registry. 

Classic:

Nestled in a fluted baking dish, a berry and rose arrangement is timeless and everyday.

For a classic centerpiece, what could be more rich with associations and history than a rose—particularly a giant, ginger pink, fragrant beauty such as Romantic Antike? I love to pair roses with raspberries and blackberries, perhaps because the plants are in the same family, and are such natural companions.  

In this arrangement:

Garden roses "Romantic Antike"
Blackberries
Passion vine
Heuchera (coral bells) foliage

Indie:

These richly colored blooms are more than a little wild, the way they spill out of an enamel pitcher. 

This "just gathered from the meadow" sensibility is a casual arrangement that celebrates weedy wildflowers in complementary blue and yellow tones. It's meant to mimic a rolling prairie.

In this arrangement:

Nigella
Allium
Yellow thistle Centaurea Macrocephala
Seleme

Luxe:

Don't have a vase? Prop flowers up on a scalloped edge cake stand using flower frogs.

To me, nothing is more decadent than this rich tumult of clematis. The luxury of this arrangement, beyond the sumptuous materials, lies in its extreme delicacy. Each stem is placed precisely, and certainly cannot travel, so must be constructed "in situ." The gloriosa lily brings out the velvety violets of the clematis, almost backlighting the arrangement.  

In this arrangement:

Clematis
Gloriosa lily

Minimal: 

Glass decanters make excellent vases, especially when they're as geometric as this handblown one. 

This lovely decanter needs very little. I chose distinctive materials whose textures speak to one another: The single, bold artichoke sits in a collar of spidery ferns, both forms a bit prehistoric.

In this arrangement: 

"Sea Star" ferns
Artichoke flower

Retro:

Not every vase needs to be porcelain or glass—as seen by this slender, mossy green one that highlights the color of the stems.
 

Watermelon and avocado green hues are paired here in a kitschy, vibrant, almost humorous design. These extraordinary poppies, so bright they are almost lit from within, rest on exotic buddha's hand citrus.  Punchy persimmons float like a swarm of bees, and the grevillea stalks sproing out like sparklers.

In this arrangement:

Grevillea flowers
Poppies "falling in love"
Buddha's hands
Persimmons on the branch

Rustic:

Copper pots have so many uses in the kitchen, not least of which is as a way to display flowers. 

For a rustic design, I love to add lots of edibles to the pot. These beautiful copper pans double as elegant vases. This design is meant to evoke an old stone farmhouse in Provence, where wild game cooks on a spit nearby.  

In this arrangement:

Echinacea
Pea pods on the vine
Cosmos
Artichokes
Viburnum berries

Photographs by Bobbi Lin