Bamboo poles can grow large enough to serve as a vase or bowl.
Asian floral designs tend to mix bold colors and simple silhouettes to emphasize the natural beauty of the materials. Bold orange mums in a clear glass vase or delicate white orchids in a black lacquer vase -- Oriental arrangements often follow the "less is more" philosophy. Keeping that in mind, it's understandable why hollow bamboo is a natural match for so many Asian floral designs. The attractive stalk provides an earthy vase in subdued hues that allow the flowers to remain the main focal point.
Cheerful Mums
Chrysanthemums contain layers of small petals.
A burst of light orange chrysanthemums in a bamboo vase provides a cheerful floral design that helps brighten up your home. Fill a short and wide bamboo vase two-thirds full with water. Slide five light orange mums into your hand to mark the center of the bouquet. Arrange the remaining flowers around the center to create a rounded bouquet. Slide the bouquet into the vase. Move the mums around as needed to preserve the round silhouette.
Floating Lotus
Lotus flowers grow in calm pools of water.
Lotus flowers grow in water, which helps support the thin stem holding each large blossom. Floating a lotus blossom in a shallow vase echoes the natural state of the flower and helps turn a single blossom into an attractive piece of home decor. Fill the bottom of a short, wide, bowl-like bamboo vase with white pebbles. Fill the vase with water, stopping 2 inches from the rim. Cut the stem from the lotus and place the large pink blossom in the vase. Place the vase on the table and scatter white pebbles around the base.
Elegant Orchids
White orchids can be pure white or white with flecks of color.
Add an elegant touch to a dining table with a stark orchid design. Pour enough water into a tall and thin bamboo vase to fill it two-thirds full. Slide a tall stem covered with small white orchids into the vase. Slide a short stem covered with a few white orchids next to the tall stem. Let the stems lean against the side of the vase at slightly different angles to preserve the minimalist silhouette. Tie a tan grosgrain ribbon in a small bow around the top of the vase to add a subtle decorative touch.
Mixed Orchids
Orchids can have several flowers on a single stem or branch.
Mixing dark and light shades of a single color produces an Asian orchid design that's both sophisticated and joyful. Fill a large bamboo vase two-thirds full with water. Slide several tall branches filled with light yellow orchids into the vase. Move the branches as needed to create a flared silhouette. Slide a few short branches filled with dark yellow orchids into the vase, positioning the short branches randomly among the tall. Add a few stalks of decorative Asian grass to help fill in any holes in the arrangement.
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