Flowers are liked by everybody, they make a wonderful adornment whether they are in a vase on a coffee table inside or in a basket outside your home.
Many of us will just bunch a number of various kinds of flowers together and then leave it at that, but far more impressive results can be achieved once you learn how to arrange flowers effectively. Flower arranging isn’t difficult; in fact just reading the following can make the majority of people five times better at it.
Kind of Floral Arrangement
What kind of flower arrangement do you wish to make? It could be a conventional 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.
Shape of Arrangement
There are a number of different forms that are typically used when arranging flowers, these include:
Triangular arrangement: probably the most common kind of flower arrangement. The line flowers are first positioned to form a triangle, the triangle needs to always be taller than it is wide.
Vertical arrangement: As the name suggests these are tall, slim arrangements. These are good for showcasing long, focal blooms. Make use of a tall container to put your flowers in, it is only required to be wide enough to use only a small number of surrounding flowers.
Horizontal arrangement: great for a large table adornments the horizontal arrangement is wide and low. A classic horizontal arrangement is symmetrical in form and the location of flowers. The length needs to be two times the height. Use a wide, shallow container, the line flowers need to be inserted so they will stretch horizontally.
Crescent arrangement: relatively tricky to get right for a novice though great for a smaller 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 probable that you are going to also might need some leaves or branches to build the crescent. The container or vase also will need to be wide and quite shallow to keep the arrangement steady.
Oval arrangement: a great arrangement for a formal setting or a living room.. Use a vase that is wide but short. Define the shape of the arrangement initially with two to four line flowers then place you focal blooms in the centre. The oval arrangement is not supposed to be looked at from all angles.
Minimal arrangement: this type of flower arrangement works by using only a small number of flowers. Minimal arrangements should look elegant and understated. On account of the small number of flowers the container will be very important, and don’t forget it doesn’t have to be a vase.
Hogarth’s Curve or Lazy S: these types of arrangements are probably the most complicated type of arrangement. Essentially the Lazy “S” is a minimal arrangement based on the contours of the letter S. The line flowers make the S shape (a lot easier when branches are used) and focal and filler flowers populate the center.
Colour Scheme:
Do you want a dark, relaxing blue/lilac/green arrangement or a more lively yellow/red/orange one?
Colours are a key factor when arranging flowers as well as the color of the container. Being aware of color theory can be extremely useful here – there are many guides on the net.
A few 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’ related colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel like yellow and orange or red and purple.
The other alternative of course is to use a less academic approach and just choose colors that you find interesting. Always keep in mind however other factors which will determine the colour scheme, like the colour of the surroundings/room,or is there a theme or are you trying to convey a certain emotion like joy or sympathy. Try to choose the colours for the sentiments you are conveying.
Deciding on The Right Flowers
With so many types this can seem like a daunting task at first but we are able to break them down into three different types:
Line flowers – These flowers give your bouquet height, width and shape. As the name suggests they are tall and slender commonly with buds along the stem. Good examples of line flowers include delphinium, tuberose, stock, gladiolus and snapdragons. You can use tall foliage or branches in preference to line flowers
Mass flowers – these blooms will give your arrangement weight, they are typically round and full faced. Good examples of mass flowers include : carnation, freesia, rose, gerbera, sunflower, lily, tulip, chrysanthemum, iris, zinnia, alstroemeria and protea, Mass flowers are sold in bunches, you should place these at the centre of your flower arrangement.
Filler flowers – filler flowers are smaller clusters of flowers typically on a single stem, they often include foliage and round out the arrangement. Popular filler flowers are pompon asters, baby’s breath, dianthus, heathers and ferns.
There are a few other things you might want to bear in mind when selecting your flowers:
Select seasonal flowers – they will be both more cost-effective (due to the fact that florists will be able to get hold of them at a much reduced price) and probably more in keeping with the time of the year.
Go with your gut – there are plenty of rules with regards to combining certain flowers or colours, however, you know much better than anyone what you find pleasing to your eye. In the event the arrangement is for you or your own home just go with flowers and colours that you like.
The Flowrer Arrangement
The order in which you place the flowers is : line flowers 1st then focal flowers and then filler flowers. While you are inserting the flowers seek to maintain a balance of colour throughout, no individual flower or colour should dominate the arrangement.
Cut a piece of floral foam just wide enough to fit inside your container but sticking out about one in . above it’s rim ..
The largest, heaviest flowers should be located at the bottom. Position a flower at a time. Cut short the size of any stems as necessary. Use a sharp knife to cut the bottom of the stems.
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Author: gidgethumperdinck72
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