The “Bold” Flower Arrangement for Summer

In Portland, Oregon, our florists often get asked to make custom arrangements that are seasonal. In trying to understand our client’s desires, we may guide them toward two basic styles (among many) as we navigate what kind of arrangement to create for them.

There are flower arrangements that whisper—they exude a beautiful quiet, subtlety and grace. Then there are those that sing and shout—loud and glaring, overpowering even. A “bold” floral design is not for the faint of heart. It’s for those who want to walk into a room and have their senses jarred and shocked in a good way. These kinds of flower designs suit those who crave color, drama, and the untamed beauty of nature in its most radiant form.

One of Portmanteau’s bold summer bouquets for a birthday celebration

In the heart of summer, boldness comes naturally. The gardens and farms swell with peak blooms—full-bodied, texture-rich, and vibrating palpably with life. This is the season of dahlias—so many people’s favorite flower and certainly one of ours! We see dahlias as fierce, flame-tipped stars that seem to burn with their own light. Their petals curl and twist like a sunset. Each of these amazing blooms, no matter what the color, are artworks sculpted by genius.

Alongside them, lisianthus offer a softer kind of strength. Their ruffled, silken petals rising in serene pastels or deep plums. They might appear delicate but they hold their own, bearing grace with the quiet confidence of a storm’s eye.

The supporting actors are hardly background noise. Rudbeckia. Zinnias in sherbert tones standing tall and joyful, head looking up at sky. Snapdragons, upright and defiant, adding height and whimsy with their hooked caps like playful sentinels of the garden.

Together, these blooms and others create a living tapestry: vivid, layered, and richly textured. A bold arrangement puts them into a clash of colors. It also doesn’t adhere to the rules of symmetry or restraint. To be bold, we have to lean into excess and emotion, not shy away from them.

To bring this boldness into your space is to honor the height of summer—sun-drenched afternoons, the earth’s ripeness, the sense that the world is full to bursting with beauty. Our bold summer creations are celebrations of the now. They are wild with unexpected pairings. They speak in their own voice. And let’s face it: flowers are more than pretty—they’re powerful.