### Stock bouquets in Bali: the stem that gives a round bunch its height Stock earns its place in a bouquet by being the wrong shape. Everything else on the workshop table is round, and the spikes supply height where the heads supply mass. Peonies take it best of all. A seasonal peony bunch is all volume and no line, and two or three stock spikes rising out of it turn a mound into something with a top edge. Roses do the same at a smaller scale, and the effect is more obvious in a hand tied bunch than in a low arrangement. Hydrangea is the interesting pairing here. Macrophylla heads close the bottom of a vase completely, the spikes clear them by a good margin, and the result is two levels without any mechanics holding it together. The grey cast of the foliage matters more than people expect. It sits between strong colours and softens the join, so white varieties look warmer in company than they do alone, and a bunch built on imported roses reads less flat with stock in it. > "We reach for stock when a bouquet has gone round and heavy. It costs almost nothing and it is the fastest fix on the table." > (JFLOO florist) Ranunculus and lisianthus are the ones we leave out of that mix. Both are already delicate at the top of the stem, and a heavy spike beside them takes the attention their shape was supposed to hold. Orchids and tropical foliage are a different case, since the vertical is already there. Stock in that company adds scent rather than structure, which is a legitimate reason to include a stem or two, but not three. There is one build where stock leads instead of supporting. A low arrangement for a dinner table, where nothing is allowed to stand tall enough to block a face across it, can be made almost entirely of short cut spikes over a base of tropical foliage. The scent does the job that height normally does. Single variety bunches of stock are rare, and the reason is practical rather than aesthetic. Ten soft stems in one vase spoil the water faster than the top of the spike can open. #### What that means for an order here Scent is the thing to decide before the bouquet is built. Two or three stems change how a whole room smells, and in an open villa with the doors back that is pleasant all evening, while in a closed hotel room with the air conditioning running it is heavy by morning. Nusa Dua rooms get one stem from us. Villa terraces in Seminyak, Canggu and Berawa get as many as the bouquet needs. Jimbaran wedding tables are the exception where we ask first. Flowers sit close to food there, and sweet scent argues with a meal. Deliveries run 9 AM to 10 PM, taking 90 to 150 minutes for Seminyak, Canggu and Sanur and up to 3 to 4 hours for Uluwatu, Tabanan and remote villas. Above 30 °C and in high humidity we use firm wrapping and a cooling element, and stock always travels inside the bunch rather than along the edge, because the stalk is soft, full of sap and bends under the weight of its own spike without straightening again. Orders start from 650000 IDR, with payment by QRIS, GoPay, OVO, DANA or cash to the courier. The care instruction is short and it is not optional. Change the water daily, wash the vase each time, fill it only a hand's depth, and re-cut the stems with a sharp knife every couple of days. In warm humid air the water goes cloudy sooner than it would in a cool room, so a bouquet with stock in it is one to send to someone who will actually stand at a sink with it.