This DIY ombre floral arrangement is bright, cheerful and budget-friendly

Ombre has established itself as a trend with staying power – you can find it everywhere from hair to jewelry, from fashion to home decor, and from planters to entire walls in your home. Sure, it's been around for a while, but it's pretty use of colour makes it popular for a reason. Floral arrangements such as this DIY are proof that ombre is still going strong and they're a great way to show off all your favourite flowers using a very on-trend technique. This bright and cheery arrangement is also the perfect accent to any tabletop as the days get a little shorter and the skies a little greyer out there. You can also opt for inexpensive blooms in this floral piece, so not only is it super simple to make, but it's easy on the wallet. Here's how to create this stunning flower arrangement using the ombre technique.

What you'll need:

• Approximately 5 bunches of carefully selected flowers
• Floral foam
• Glass vase or base
• Long tropical leaf (to hide the floral foam)
• Floral shears or scissors
• Water

Directions:

1. When shopping for flowers start with the colours you want at the opposite ends of the spectrum, and then find flowers in a range of hues to fill in the middle. Use a colour wheel for reference, and pick half of it to choose a colour range for your flowers. For example, try focusing on the "hot" colour section of the wheel, including yellows and oranges, as well as pinks and deep berry red shades, or go "cool" by using the green and blue half of the wheel.

Opt for flowers that have different shapes and textures to create an interesting display. You can also play with your bloom size to add texture and have fun with shapes and scale. Hydrangeas are great if you want to create a larger arrangement, and you can find them in all different colours. But this is an arrangement that works so well with lower priced blooms.  

2. When you bring your flowers home, immediately cut the tips off and put the stems in water – especially if they'll be sitting for a while before you arrange them. The freshly cut tips will help the flowers absorb the water in the foam better.

3. Place wet floral foam cut to fit inside your glass container. Lay a large leaf around the outside to the conceal the foam.

4. Now you can start placing the flowers. If you can, invest in floral shears. These are the best way to cut your flowers because blunt scissors can damage the stems causing the stem to deteriorate. Proper shears will give you a clean cut allowing the water to flow through the stem properly.

Remove the the leaves and foliage from below the water line. This will help keep your water fresh. Place the flowers according to colour inside the container. Start with both sides, and work your way in. For example, Steven started with yellow and red on the extreme ends, and worked towards the middle to gradually get to orange.

5. Fill in any spaces with inexpensive greenery to cover the gaps.

6. Water your flowers as needed, and use floral food in the water if you can. This eliminates bacteria and gives the stems the proper nutrients. If you don't have floral food, you can help keep your flower water clear of bacteria with this basic home recipe:

Mix 1 quart water + 2 tablespoons lemon juice + 1 tablespoon sugar + 1/2 teaspoon bleach.

Change the water every few days and you'll get more mileage out of this colourful arrangement.