The Art of Arranging Lilies: A Guide to a Long-lasting and Luxurious Display by a Skilled 8X Hai Phong Florist

Ms. Quynh Lien from Hai Phong city shared her mesmerizing arrangement of snapdragons with VietNamNet, leaving flower enthusiasts in awe. Initially, she felt discouraged by the small stems and dull, wilted appearance of the 70 purple flower stems she received. However, after two days of dedicated care and proper flower nourishment, she transformed them into a breathtaking bouquet.

“These purple snapdragons from Hue went through an astonishing metamorphosis, akin to ugly ducklings turning into graceful swans,” she exclaimed. Even days after arranging them, the flowers remained vibrant and bloomed profusely, with blossoms opening all the way to the tips.

Selecting Snapdragons:

To create a stunning bouquet of snapdragons for the Tet festival, choosing the right flowers is paramount. Ms. Lien recommends selecting stems with sturdy, robust stems and vibrant, glossy leaves. Opt for flowers with multiple buds that are just beginning to open, revealing a hint of their vibrant colors. Freshness is key, so choose flowers that look lively from the blossoms to the tips.

Be cautious and avoid flowers that have been stored in cold storage. Chilled snapdragons often show signs of wilting and wrinkling at the base. A telltale sign of recently chilled snapdragons is wet leaves with a dewy appearance; if left out, these leaves will wither and turn yellow at the edges. Additionally, if a stem has buds of a different color than the rest, it indicates forced chilling, and those flowers will likely not bloom.

Nourishing and Arranging for Full Bloom:

When you bring your snapdragons home, trim the stems and remove any old leaves. If you want to avoid curved stems, you can roll up newspaper, tie it around the tips, middle, and base of the stems, and then place the whole bundle in a bucket of water. To achieve a curved effect at the tips, lean the bundle against a wall overnight. After 4-6 hours of soaking up water, the flowers will become sturdy and easy to shape to your liking.

It’s important to note that snapdragons have long stems, so choose a tall vase or a heavy base for a well-proportioned and stable arrangement. You can arrange them straight in a vase, drape the stems, or use floral foam for a unique look. When cutting the stems, make a diagonal cut to increase the surface area for water absorption. Continue to remove any leaves that are submerged in water to prevent rot and ensure the flowers stay fresh.

Before arranging the flowers, clean the vase, and use clean water for the arrangement. Change the water every two days, and each time, trim about 3-5cm from the base, removing any wilted or bruised flowers. If you want the flowers to bloom faster, use lukewarm water at around 40 degrees Celsius. Conversely, adding a few ice cubes to the water will slow down the blooming process. If you’re arranging the flowers in a vase, add some flower food to the water.

A little-known trick to enhancing the beauty of your snapdragons is to snap off the top part of the stem, removing 2-3 immature buds. This redirects the nutrients to the remaining flowers, resulting in more vibrant and lush blooms.

A well-arranged bouquet should have flowers that bloom uniformly from bottom to top, with consistent coloring across the blossoms.

Captivating Snowdrop Flowers for Tet: A Guide to Blooming and Color-Changing by a Talented 9X from Hanoi


Snowdrop flowers, with their graceful, delicate petals, captivate all who behold them. Discover the secrets to choosing and arranging these ethereal blossoms for the Tet festival with tips from a skilled 9X in Hanoi.

Photos: Courtesy of the owner