FLORAL DESIGN

Essential Standard 7.00: Understand floral design

Design Materials
FOUR BASIC TYPES OF DESIGN MATERIALS
• Line Flowers
• Mass Flowers
• Form Flowers
• Filler Flowers
LINE FLOWERS
• Line Flowers (and foliage)- create height, width and
a balanced look in the arrangement. Line flowers
are attractive by themselves in a tall vase. They
produce floret blooms on tall spikes
• Examples:
● Snapdragons
● Foxglove
● Liatris
● Gladiolus
● Scotch broom
LINE FLOWER EXAMPLES
• Snapdragons
• Gladiolus
MASS FLOWERS
• Give your arrangement weight. Mass flowers are
usually round and full.
• They are usually the focal point of color and interest
in an arrangement.
• Mass flowers are a good choice for a simple, quick
vase of flowers and are often sold in bunches
• Produce flowers on the end of stems
MASS FLOWER EXAMPLES
• Carnations
• Sunflower
• Alstroemeria
• Gerbera or Shasta Daisy
• Zinnia
• Mums
• Rose
• Daffodil
• Tulip
• Hydrangea
• Lemon leaf
FORM FLOWERS
• Center the arrangement
• Form flowers are colorful, large and unique shaped
flowers
• They catch the eye of the viewer
FORM FLOWER EXAMPLES
• Anthurium
• Bird of Paradise
• Iris
• Calla lilies
• Peony
• Stargazer
• Wax Flower
• Orchids
• Ferns
FILLER FLOWERS
• Fill your arrangement
• Filler flowers usually have many little flowers and
small foliage giving your arrangement a soft, full
look
• They connect mass and line flowers
• A few branches can give added beauty to any
arrangement
FILLER FLOWER EXAMPLES
• Baby’s Breath
• Queen Anne’s Lace
• Ferns
• Heather
• Statice
• Asters
• Sprengeri fern
• Bear grass
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
PRINCIPLE #1
• Balance
● The flower size and the container flow together and
complement each other
PRINCIPLE #2
• Focal Point
● Creates the accent and interest to catch the eye
PRINCIPLE #3
• Proportion
● Keeps relative size, color, and texture of the flowers to
create a pleasing arrangement. Floral designs should
be at least 1 ½ to 2 times the height or width of the
container
PRINCIPLE #4
• Scale
● Design must be in proportion to the surrounding area
where it is placed
PRINCIPLE #5
• Accent
● Used to catch attention and draw attention to the design
PRINCIPLE #6
• Repetition
● Accentuates the flowers and colors by repeating their
use throughout the design
PRINCIPLE #7
• Rhythm
● Creates a sense of continuity or flowing together
PRINCIPLE #8
• Harmony
● When all parts flow together to give a completed look to
the arrangement
PRINCIPLE #9
• Unity
● When the flowers complement each other through color,
size, and shape
DESIGN SHAPES
ROUND
• Flower arrangement is basically round in shape
OVAL
• Flowers make an oval shaped arrangement
FAN
• Flowers make a fan or semicircle shaped
arrangement
TRIANGLE
• Shape may be equilateral triangle with all three
sides the same length or asymmetrical triangle with
sides of different lengths
RIGHT ANGLE
• Flowers make an L shape
INVERTED-T
• Flowers make an upside down T (⊥)
VERTICAL
• Straight up, in a bud vase, tall vertically, narrow
horizontally
HORIZONTAL
• Long horizontal and short vertically
DIAGONAL
• Half way between vertical and horizontal
CRESCENT
• Shaped like a quarter moon
HOGARTH CURVE
• Shaped like an S curve
DESIGN TOOLS
FLORAL DESIGN TOOLS
• Floral Foam- foam used to hold flowers in a
container
● Fresh flower floral foam- absorbs water. Soak it in water
prior to starting your arrangement
● Dry flower floral foam- does not absorb water. Used for
dried or silk flowers. This floral foam is dense.
• Styrofoam- coarse in texture and is used mostly for
silk flowers
FLORAL DESIGN TOOLS
• Wire- supports flower stems or creates artificial
stems
● Boxed wire measures 18” in length
● Wire gauge ranges from #6 to #30
● The higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire
● #22 wire is used for wiring heavy flowers
● #24-26 gauge wire is a good general purpose wire, used
for securing bows
● #28 gauge wire is used for wiring average weight
flowers
● Paddle wire (wire on a wooden or plastic spool)- used to
wire pine cones and accessories to wreaths, etc. and is
available in different gauges
FLORAL DESIGN TOOLS
• Wire cutters- cut wire
• Picks- wooden picks with wire increase the stem
length and attach bows or ribbon used in the design
• Floral tape
● Waterproof tape is used to attach floral foam to the
container
● Floral tape (stem wrap) is a tacky tape used to wrap
wire. It is used to conceal wire and stems when creating
boutonnieres and corsages.
• Shears- cut woody stemmed flowers/plants
• Scissors- cut ribbon or fabric
FLORAL DESIGN TOOLS
• Ribbon- sold in bolts by number, size and texture
● Number Size
• #1.5- 5/16”
• #2- 7/16”
• #3= 9/16” Commonly used for corsages and boutonnieres
• #5= 7/8” Commonly used for potted plants
• #9= 1 5/16” commonly used for potted plants
• #40= 2 ½” commonly used for wreath bows
• #100= 4” commonly used for funeral sprays
● Texture
• Satin
• Organza
• Mesh
• Burlap
• Raffia
• Prints solid
• Paper
• Wired and unwired
FLORAL DESIGN TOOLS
• Floral Knife- cut flower stems
• Containers- range from bud vases to large
containers. Can be made of glass, plastic, glazed
pots and light weight liners
• Foil- paper to wrap a potted plant. Sold in rolls or
pre-cut sheets
DESIGN TECHNIQUES FOR A
FRESH FLORAL
ARRANGMENTS
STEPS IN DESIGNING ARRANGEMENTS
1. Select a Design Shape
2. Select appropriate container
3. Cut floral foam and soak in water for 20 minutes if
needed.
4. Set foam in container and secure if needed
5. Select fern or other filler and arrange to cover the foam if
needed. Extend at least 1 ½ times width of container
6. Insert flower to create the desired height
7. Insert additional flowers to make the design outline and
focal point
8. Add other flowers as needed to create the arrangement
9. Arrange filler flowers such as baby’s breath last to give a
completed appearance
THE COLOR WHEEL
COLOR PRINCIPLES
• Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments),
primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that can not be
mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All
other colors are derived from these 3 hues.
• Secondary Colors: Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary
colors.Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-
purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a
secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word
name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-
orange.
COLOR CONT.
• Complementary colors are across from each other
on the color wheel
• Color adds harmony