DIY Blooming Cabbage Arrangement for Spring or Easter

This Blooming Cabbage is similar to one I made a couple of years ago for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a fun project that makes a festive addition to your table for spring, Easter or to celebrate Mother’s Day! You’ll start with a head of cabbage from the grocery store, the larger the better. I decide to use a purple cabbage, aka, red cabbage, for this centerpiece. To begin, trim the bottom of your cabbage so it sits level, removing and discarding any outer leaves that are torn or wilted, saving any pretty outer leaves. You can reattach any outer leaves to your cabbage using floral pins, also know as greening pins, if desired when you’re finished.

Note: I’ve used wet floral foam inside a cabbage to arrange flowers and also added water to a hollowed out cabbage as a vase. Both methods create a not-too-pretty aroma! To avoid any odor from your cabbage vase, place a container inside to hold the wet floral foam or water for your flowers to keep your cabbage dry.

I used a mason jar as vase inside the cabbage, tracing around the jar with a paring knife. After cutting down through the top of the cabbage, I flipped the cabbage over and cut through the bottom to meet in the middle, fitting a mason jar inside. The cabbage acts like sleeve around the jar and allows the jar and cabbage to sit level for added stability to the finished arrangement.

Tip: Use an inexpensive Lazy Susan for easy flower arranging. It helps you turn your vase allowing you to see your arrangement on all sides.

Hydrangea blooms were placed along the outside edge spilling over to conceal the cut edge of the cabbage and the rim of the jar.

Next I added tulips, some Bupleurum, also known as Hare’s Ear, (appropriate for the season!) and daffodils cut from the yard.

A note about Daffodils: Daffodils secrete a milky sap after cutting that shortens the vase life of other flowers. To use them in a vase with other flowers, cut them and put them in a vase by themselves overnight. After the stems have secreted their sap, they’re ready to add to other flowers in a mixed bouquet as long as you don’t recut the stems again.

Here is the completed bouquet in the mason jar that's sitting in the cabbage. Decorative eggs were tucked in the bouquet to hide among the blooms and the pretty outer leaves were reattached to the cabbage using floral pins.

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

• 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.
• Change your vase water every other day if possible.
•  Keep your flower arrangement away from heat (like vents blowing) and direct sunlight.

Farmer Bunny with wheelbarrow came from Pottery Barn several years ago. He’s ushering in spring and wheeling the Blooming Cabbage Arrangement as a centerpiece for the table. Hop over HERE if you'd like to more photos of the table.

Hop over, HERE, for more Spring and Easter table and centerpiece inspiration. You’ll find tips for using spring flowering bulbs, blooming branches, a DIY carrot vase, 5-minute centerpieces and more!