• Container
• Rectangular piece of oasis, cut to fill container and extend one or two inches above the top
• Fresh flowers such as: hydrangia, alstromeria, peonies, delphinium, roses, scabisoa, Queen Anne's lace, etc.
• Fresh leaves such as: Bells of Ireland, leather fern, camillia, lemon leaf

1. Place container on table. If using a basket, create a watertight seal by using a formed plastic liner. (Or, place one sheet of foil lengthwise across the top of basket, then place the second sheet crosswise on top of first. Press foil down into basket and fold down sides into the inside of the basket. Next, press a large piece of heavy plastic down into the basket over the foil.)

2. Cut oasis to the correct size, then saturate oasis with water and place in the container. Make sure oasis sticks out of the container one or two inches. Finally, shave off the edges of the oasis, creating a slightly rounded edge.

3. Place several large flowers into the oasis, creating a large rounded dome at the center-back of the arrangement.

4. Add smaller flowers: Create a lower area of flowers near the front of the container. Here we've uses pink roses, but carnations, would work as well. Grouping colorful blooms like these together has more impact than scattering individual flowers throughout.

5. Add longer-stemmed flowers off to the side, placing them so they cascade over the edge of the container.

Tip: Don't throw out any unopened buds -- you can use these in the arrangement to add more color and a natural appearance.

6. Fill in with leaves and filler flowers. Don't be afraid to rearrange items to fill gaps and cover oasis. Turn the container to view from all sides.

7. Add water to the container to within 3 inches of the top. Tip: Check water levels daily and refill as needed.