Everybody loves flowers, they have got an exceptional ability to brighten up any room.. Though many of us won’t spend much time when arranging our flowers, it is not difficult to learn how to do it properly. Spend a little time on your arrangement and the results can look quite impressive.
Flower arranging isn’t difficult; in fact just reading the following will make most people 500% better at it.
Type of Floral Arrangement
Decide which kind of flower arrangement you would like.
It might be a traditional table arrangement in a vase or a bouquet as a gift or a really imaginative conversational piece. There are many different ways to present different types of flower arrangements.
Select the Form of the Arrangement
There are a number of different forms that are often used when arranging flowers, these include:
Triangular arrangement: perhaps the most popular form of flower arrangement. The line flowers are first placed to form a triangle, the triangle ought to always be taller than it is wide.
Vertical arrangement: very tall and slender arrangement. Vertical arrangements are good for showcasing long, focal flowers. Use a tall container to put your flowers in, it is only required to be wide enough to add just a few surrounding flowers.
Horizontal arrangement: broad and low arrangement, great for a large table design. A traditional horizontal arrangement is symmetrical in shape and the location of flowers. The width needs to be two times the height. Make use of a wide, shallow container, the line flowers must be inserted so they stretch horizontally.
Crescent arrangement: the crescent arrangement is a little more advanced than some of the others however looks excellent as a small table decoration. Being asymmetrical does cause problems as it is harder to find a balance when viewed from all angles. The arrangement also needs to be physically stable. It is likely that you are going to also might need some leaves or branches to shape the crescent. To keep the arrangement stable it’s a good idea to use a wide, low container/vase.
Oval arrangement: a great arrangement for a formal setting or a living room.. Use a vase which is wide but short. Place the line flowers in first to define the shape the use the focal flowers at the centre and finally fill with smaller flowers. This arrangement is not meant to be looked at from three hundred and sixty degrees.
Minimal arrangement: this type of flower arrangement uses only a few flowers. Minimal flower arrangements should look elegant and understated. Due to the small number of flowers the container is very important, and also don’t forget it does not have to be a vase.
The Lazy S: these kinds of floral arrangements are probably the most difficult type. By using only a small number of blooms and commonly greenery the Lazy S is based on the curves of the letter S. The line flowers form the S shape (a lot easier if branches are used) and focal and filler flowers fill the center.
Arrangement Color Scheme:
Would you like a dark, relaxing green/lilac/blue arrangement or a more vibrant red/orange/yellow one? Colours are a key factor when arranging flowers as well as the color of the container.
Knowing colour theory can be extremely useful here – there are several guides on the net. Some of the options are complimentary colours – colours from the opposite sides of the colour wheel like green and red or blue and orange, or ‘analogous colors’ similar colours that are adjacent to one another on the colour wheel like yellow and orange or red and purple. You might prefer to employ a less academic method and just choose the colors that you find appealing. Remember colours can often express a number of feelings like love, sympathy, friendship, happiness etc. Try to choose the colours for the sentiments you are conveying.
Selecting The Correct Flowers
Nearly all flowers can be placed within the these following groups:
Line flowers – Line flowers give your bouquet height, width and shape. As the name suggests they are tall as well as slender usually with buds along the stem. Examples of line flowers include delphinium, tuberose, stock, gladiolus and snapdragons. Branches and taller greenery may be used as an alternative for line flowers
Mass flowers – these are the focal point of colour and interest in the arrangement, typically round face large flowers on a single stem. Good examples of focal flowers include : carnation, freesia, rose, gerbera, sunflower, lily, tulip, chrysanthemum, iris, zinnia, alstroemeria and protea,
Filler flowers – filler flowers consist of stems with a lot of small blooms and greenery, these occupy the spaces and give a visual link between the line and focal flowers. Common filler flowers are : heather, ferns, aster, feverfew, Queen Anne’s lace, baby’s breath and eucalyptus.
Additional factors that you need to think about are:
Seasonal flowers – blooms which are in season are normally much better value when compared with those which are not due to the fact that flower growers have a great number of them
Flower symbolism – Floriography (language of flowers) – just like colours, since Victorian times various flowers have had particular meanings/symbolism.
Forget about the rules – you’ll find a great number of guidelines and articles written on mixing colours and flowers and with them many rules. If the rules state that they shouldn’t go together but you feel they should, put them together – you’re most likely right.
Arranging the Flowers
The order in which you insert the flowers is this : line flowers to begin with after that focal flowers then filler flowers. While you are inserting the flowers try to maintain a balance of colour throughout, no particular flower or colour should dominate the arrangement.
Floral foam is a necessity for any good flower arrangement, soak the foam in water together with plant food and trim it one inch above the rim of the vase/container.This will make it easy for flowers to be positioned in a natural way..
Whenever arranging, position the largest and heaviest blooms along the bottom. Cut short the size of any stems as necessary. Place the flowers so that they all face outward at an angle to suit the arrangement. Use a cutting knife to slant and also shape the stems and remove ant flowers or leaves that will be below the water line. A sharp edge knife is required to create a cut that will let water to enter the flower stems.
