It’s easy to think of a bouquet as being made from flowers, but have you ever considered using herbs for bouquets instead? These fragrant plants can be just as aromatic and add a touch of elegance when used as a bridal bouquet or hostess gift. Best of all, you don't need any flower arranging skills to learn how to make an herbal bouquet.
How to Make an Herbal Bouquet
When making an herb bundle bouquet, the first step is the careful selection of fragrant plants. In the Victorian era, plants were chosen for the special meanings they conveyed. Nowadays, herbs for bouquets are often picked for the fragrances they impart or for their physical beauty.
A bouquet of herbs can also be theme based. Adherence to the theme often influences the selection of herbs for bouquets. Here are some examples of theme-based bouquets to spark your imagination:
- Hostess gift bouquet – These culinary bouquets are not only beautiful, but also practical. Treat your dinner host to an Italian bouquet of herbs made up of basil, chives, oregano, and parsley. Or try your hand at making an outdoor barbecue bouquet with dill, rosemary, and thyme.
- Get-Well bouquet – Have a friend who's feeling under the weather? Cheer them up with a bouquet of herbs which have healing powers. Include lavender, chamomile, and purple coneflowers.
- Centerpiece bouquet – In lieu of flowers, decorate your holiday table with the aroma of an herb bundle bouquet. Mix the distinctive leaves of rosemary, sage, and thyme with a few cinnamon sticks for Thanksgiving or go minty with sprigs of peppermint, rue, and bayberry for Christmas.
- Herbal bridal bouquet – Combine peony, rosemary, and sage or mix lavender and roses with green wheat stalks for a woodsy, back-to-nature bouquet.
Assembling Your Bouquet of Herbs
To create your aromatic herb bundle bouquet, select several herb blossoms for the center of the arrangement. Choose bold, bright flowers like lavender, dill, and pineapple sage or subtle ones such as basil, oregano, and chives. Traditional flowers can also be substituted when herbs are not in bloom or for theme-based arrangements.
Next, add fresh-cut foliage stems to the sides and back of the herb bundle bouquet. Select foliage like Italian basil and rosemary for the texture of their leaves or try varieties of variegated thyme for additional color.
Fragrant foliage bouquets can also be assembled using only the leaves and stems of herb plants.