I don't think I completely comprehend what you're trying to say. Could you please post a screenshot of what you're currently up to?
The way I did it was simple: I finished with the flattened image and I used Conditional Hue/Saturation to change the colour of the flower (it is, afterall, the only coloured object in the image). I then duplicated the layer and Gaussian Blurred the top layer, and then halved the opacity of that layer to create a softer effect.
Could you elaborate a bit more, so we can get an idea? Or, what would you like me to elaborate more? Which step, exactly?