Petals & Roots: How to Make a Seasonal Table Design with Lilac and Viburnum

floral design of lilac and green viburnum opulus in white ceramic boat vase — (Image credit: Future/Esme Mai Photography)

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What You Need
How To Do It

When it comes to creating dinner party flowers for your home, there are three things I always have front of mind. What can I make that will be quick and simple? Which flowers are in season right now? And how can I get this to look super professional? This design is the answer to all those questions.

It celebrates spring, is overflowing with frothy texture and scent, and is simple to create because I only use two varieties of flowers in it: lilac and viburnum opulus, better known as guelder rose.

I trained as a floral designer 10 years ago, working in the floristry industry creating designs like this for events and weddings. In the most recent episode of Petals & Roots, I show you how to design an arrangement like this, share my advice on the best ways to condition your flowers, and take you through the making process step by step.

What You Need For This Spring Floral Design

Pink scissors next to white ceramic boat vase filled with chicken wire and green viburnum opulus flowers

Floristry scissors, such as these ones from Amazon. Spending a bit more on a really good pair of sharp scissors pays off as they will last and make light work when cutting through woody stems
Chicken wire, just like this from Ace Hardware
A long and low, ceramic boat vase of your choice with a narrow depth (see below for some shopping inspo)
Clear pot tape, available from Amazon
Nine stems of lilac and 10 stems of viburnum opulus 'roseum', or guelder rose

How To Create This Design Yourself

Purple lilac trailing alongside white vintage boat vase, close-up

There are two key elements to this design: your flowers and the vessel you decide to use.

I wanted abundance, scent, and lots of lovely spring froth, so I opted for light purple lilac and paired this with zesty lime green of the viburnum, or guelder rose.

Both these blooms are made up of hundreds of tiny, individual flowers, which give them this frothy appearance, and are fascinating to look at up close. It also makes them hugely fun to design with, as they have large flower heads with lots of natural movement, and I encourage you to lean into that if you decide to choose them.

The second important element is your vessel. By using a 'long and low' vase, you can fill it quite easily without needing a large number of stems. And, you can create something stunning for your dinner party that isn't going to block anyone's sight line across the table.

woman in pale pink jumper placing lilac stems into white boat vase making a floral table design

To start, place a pillow of folded chicken wire into your vase and secure over the top with two pieces of floral pot tape. This will give you a strong structure within which to design, and you can use this time and again as a sustainable floral foam alternative; simply rinse, dry and re-use.

Now, take your lilac stems and place one either end of your vessel, and another in the centre, all at slightly different angles.

When you cut your stems to size, as well as making a diagonal cut, made an additional vertical cut up the woody stem. This will increase the cut surface area and help the stem take up water better, and stay looking fresh for longer.

Lilac heads are so big, that it's easy to fill space and let flowers tumble over the edge of the vase, giving the whole thing a very natural, abundant look. Continue until you have used most or all of your lilac, keeping some stems higher in the middle and making sure they spill over both sides of the vessel.

Silver tabby cat on table next to large vase of lilac stems and a floral design with lilac and viburnum opulus roseum

The next step is to add even more froth and fun to this arrangement with the guelder rose.

Similar to lilac, this plant also has a woody stem, but it is thinner than a lilac's, so you may not need to make an additional vertical cut.

Begin to arrange into the gaps you have, until you can't see any of the chicken wire and your flowers are spilling beautifully over the edge of the vessel. You can set the guelder rose stems higher than the lilac, to give the design more depth.

Continue until you are happy that every space is filled, and then simply keep the water topped up and enjoy the exquisite fragrance and froth from this beautiful table arrangement.

Floral design with abundance of lilac and green viburnum opulus roseum on mantlepiece in front of brick wall

What to Shop

Delphine Low Vase

Pink Flower Scissors

Ruffle Vase

Petals & Roots is a weekly video series fronted by me, Rachel Bull, Head of Gardens at Homes & Gardens. Every weekend on social, I share my seasonal gardening and flower arranging expertise and advice.

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Rachel is a gardening editor, floral designer, flower grower and gardener. Her journalism career began on Country Living magazine, sparking a love of container gardening and wild planting. After several years as editor of floral art magazine The Flower Arranger, Rachel became a floral designer and stylist, before joining Homes & Gardens in 2023. She writes and presents the brand's weekly gardening and floristry social series Petals & Roots. An expert in cut flowers, she is particularly interested in sustainable gardening methods and growing flowers and herbs for wellbeing. Last summer, she was invited to Singapore to learn about the nation state's ambitious plan to create a city in nature, discovering a world of tropical planting and visionary urban horticulture.