Now that you have your focal point flower, accent flowers and filler; it’s time to prepare your stems by trimming to the desired length (based on the height of your vase), making sure to do so at an angle. Trimming the stems at an angle ensures that the stems do not sit flat along the bottom of the vase, which blocks water from absorbing. Add your flowers to water immediately after trimming, and remove any foliage that is on the lower part of your stems, to keep the leaves from sitting in your vase water (which will grow bacteria and result in your florals dying more quickly).