Upcycled Can Flower Arrangement

8 Materials
$4
1 Hour
Easy

*Bee* creative and think outside the vase! An upcycled can makes a charming container and vase for garden flowers.

I found this ‘Bradshaw’s Clover Blossom Honey’ can on eBay a while back. It spoke to my bee-loving heart with the vibrant graphics, depicting bees swarming around a bee skep! 

I used one of my favorite tools for flower arranging, chicken wire, which is reusable, unlike floral foam. Cut your chicken wire wider and longer than your container, so you have a several inches of wire on all sides of your container to bend and hold it securely in place. Chicken wire is easy to cut with pliers and is available at most craft stores, in small rolls or at garden centers in larger rolls.

I picked up a $4 bundle of sunflowers at the grocery store for a pop of sunny yellow color to go with the color of the bee skep on the can. The other flowers in the arrangement were blooms growing around the Potting Shed.

I included a few of ‘bee favorites’ like this Lamb’s Ear, that's currently buzzing with bees . . .

And bee balm which attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

If you want a plant that attracts pollinators, self-sows and that tolerates the heat, plant Verbena Lollipop! It grows in zones 6 – 10 and prefers full sun in well-drained soil.

For a little whimsy in my arrangement, I used my bee magnets that I use to transform my napkin rings --> see my Hometalk post ‘Quick and Easy Napkin Ring Makeover’.


To add the bee magnet to the arrangement, I used a metal binder clip, on top of a bamboo skewer.

I placed one bee magnet on the can, covering up the ‘Net Weight 5 lbs.’ . .

And added the second bee to the clip, tucking the skewer down in the hydrangea until the clip and skewer were concealed.

This bee flew over to enjoy a little nectar from the lamb’s ear in the arrangement while I was photographing it. He flew to several flowers in the arrangement, including the white hosta blooms, but the lamb’s ear was the clear favorite.

Here are few tips to help extend the life of your flowers in your arrangement:


💐 Start with a clean container or vase, washing thoroughly to remove potential bacteria that will shorten the life of your flowers.


💐 Cut your flower stems at a 45 degree angle for maximum water uptake and remove any leaves below the water line.


💐 Always add the floral preservative packets to your vase water that come with your flowers. If you don’t have any floral preservative, you can make your own with this easy formula.


💐 Check your water level to top it off if necessary. Some flowers like hydrangeas are heavy drinkers.


💐 If you’re using cut hydrangeas, use the alum-dipping method to keep them from wilting.


💐 Keep your flower arrangement away from heat or direct sunlight.


💐 When using garden flowers, cut them in the early morning when they are fully hydrated and not water stressed from the heat. For best results, condition them prior to arranging them, placing them in floral preservative / water solution for several hours or preferably overnight.


💐 Once a flower starts to fade, remove it from the vase as soon as possible. A dying flower releases ethylene gas that will hasten the decline of other flowers in your arrangement.


💐 Change your vase water every other day if possible.


See more photos and flowers around the Potting Shed at the link below!

Resources for this project:
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Mary @ Home is Where the Boat Is
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • Chris Keating-Ingelse Chris Keating-Ingelse on Jun 11, 2019

    Did I miss this step, or did you not do anything to preserve the label, since you're using cut flowers in water?

  • M.L. Friel M.L. Friel on Oct 03, 2019

    OK, So Where do you get the little gold Bee? Didn't see anything about That in your post!

  • Debbie Debbie on Feb 16, 2021

    Where can I purchase the bees?

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