Once you’ve decided to purchase some fresh cut flowers, what type you want to buy becomes a question. Here are some tips on the right flowers to buy and the right way to accent your home with them. Remember that these are only suggestions. Experimenting with different arrangements is half the fun!

Today, many Americans are slowing down and staying home in record numbers. Experts have named this phenomenon "downshifting" and it goes hand-in-hand with another trend -- "nesting." As people seek more time in their havens, atmosphere is becoming increasingly important. Use the following unique ideas from the Society of American Florists to brighten your home with flowers.

• Bring your collectibles out of the closet! Old water pitchers, antique teapots, classic urns or even tattered clay pots make fascinating containers for a casually placed flower arrangement.
• Take your favorite vase, treasured antique bowl or silver pitcher to your florist for a custom-designed arrangement. Seeing your personal treasure spring to life with flowers will uplift the room and your spirits.
• Add simple touches. An elegant decoration for any corner of the home: float two or three blooms, such as gardenias or gerbera daisies in a favorite crystal bowl. Add a floating candle or two for a glowing evening effect. For a just-picked-from-the-garden look, fill a clear glass vase with a cheerful bunch of loose stems and anchor with colored marbles.
• Greet guests at your front door: attach small vases to a pre-made wreath and add short stems of fresh flowers. You'll be amazed what a warm welcome they communicate.
• Match the mood of a get-together with the flower arrangements you place around the house: for a romantic dinner, choose a classic arrangement of roses, lilac, or hydrangea, accented with an elegant ribbon; for a festive Tex Mex bash with friends, look for vivid, exotic varieties like bird of paradise, anthurium or ginger; for an afternoon brunch, bring spring inside with a cheerful bouquet of flowers such as tulips, irises and daffodils, or a brightly colored flowering plant.
• Create an interesting centerpiece decoration using several miniature vases, each holding the same type of flowers or combining an eclectic mix of color and variety. Then as guests leave, offer to let them make a choice to take home... an extension of a lovely evening.
• Individual flowers are perfect at place settings or attached to name cards and will long be remembered by guests.
• Surprise houseguests with a lovely bud vase placed at their bedside table or next to their morning coffee. Even a single stem is welcoming and heart-warming.

At home with fresh cut flowers, room by room.

Make a first impression with a large, abundant arrangement. Or create a focal point with a piece of artwork on a pedestal draped with a garland and flowers. For a friendly look, place a basket with a garden bouquet on the entry table.

Flowers and arrangements should complement the decor and mood - use containers of crystal, silver or porcelain. For an easy, elegant table decoration, set a series of alternating crystal vases and candles on a fabric runner. Place fresh flowers in ones, twos or threes surrounded by greenery in each of the vases.

A place for warm camaraderie, floral touches heighten the mood. In the summer when the fireplace isn't being used, brighten the hearth with an abundant assortment of seasonal flowers. Continue the theme by placing a few of the same flowers on the mantle next to those family photos.

Trim a windowsill with a collection of terra cotta pots, using a combination of herbs and sun-loving plants like kalanchoe, African violets or primroses . . . enjoy your mini-harvest every day.

There is nothing like waking up to a hint of fragrance wafting from a bud vase on your nightstand. Ask your florist about tea roses, freesias, peonies, lilacs and lilies, all deliciously fragrant choices.

Welcome your guest with a bright addition. Hide a bud vase with a simple cluster of flowers in the center of a clear bubble bowl filled with potpourri.

Statistics show more Americans than ever are working at home with high tech equipment. Give yourself a "nature break" by keeping a flowering or green plant next to that computer station or fax machine.