Because tropical leaves like calathea are usually pretty broad all the way down to the short stem, you can lengthen the stem for easier use in your designs. To do this, simply determine the length that you want your stem to be and use that as your starting point.
Cut at a 45-degree angle on each side of the rib of the leaf and then carefully cut or pull down on each side to remove the bottom portion of the leaf.
That’s it! Now you have a longer stem to insert in your arrangement.
See the step-by-step instructions for Frascogna’s tropical arrangement.
See more of Frascogna’s work at Tulip Floral + Goods.