Floral design

Egyptians were among the first to place lotus flowers and buds in vases nearly 4,000 years ago.[2] Egyptians also created bouquets, wreaths, garlands, headwear, and collars. These arrangements often used lotus and papyrus, as they were seen as sacred plants to the goddess Isis. Ancient Greeks and Romans also created garlands and wreaths to wear. Greeks and Romans also created cornucopias full of fruits and vegetables as religious offerings.[3]

Chinese and Korean arrangements were, and still are, traditionally based upon the Confucian idea of reflection, the Buddhist principle of preservation, and Taoist symbolism. The arrangements of the Chinese and Koreans often use containers of varying height and shape, and use natural elements, such as rocks.[3][4]

Ikebana is the Japanese style of floral design, and incorporates the three main line placements that correspond with heaven, humans, and the earth.[4]

During the Renaissance, pieces often had a degree of symbolism and used bright, vivid, and contrasting triadic colors. Designs were symmetrical and combined fresh and dried material, as well as fruits and vegetables. These arrangements were often triangular, arching, or ellipse shaped.[5][2][4]

In French design, arrangements often used soft pastel colors. Arrangements were often light and airy, and stressed the individual beauty of each flower itself, rather than the entire arrangement. Pieces were semi-ovoid, soft and airy, had a feminine design, were symmetrical, and had no focal point. They accentuated rhythm with curves, lines, and flourishes of plant material.[5][2][4]

English design drew from the vast variety of plant materials that were available in estates and the countryside. Most arrangements during the various periods were formal pieces, generally triangular in shape, and symmetrical.[5][2][4]

A recreation of an American Colonial Period arrangement using synthetic flowers.

In the Americas, during the Colonial Period (1607-1699), arrangements were made used gathered wildflowers, grasses, and seed pods. These arrangements reflected a simplistic lifestyle with few luxuries; a reflection of the first colonists to arrive there. American arrangements then evolved from numerous influences, primarily European. As such, American pieces began to reflect the sophistication, symmetry, and shapes of European design ideals of the time.[5][2][4]

In the mid 20th century, flower arranging and floral design came to be seen as an art form. While modern floral designers and arrangers are still inspired by the naturalistic, 19th century designs, modern designers tend to want to break free from the rigid patterns and restrictions of past period designs. This led to the creation of abstract designs in modern floral arrangement. Other modern designers, however, did not feel inspired or drawn to abstract designs. As such, these designers began to create new design styles. Today's floral arrangements are born out of these two factors. Modern arrangements range from zero abstraction, in which pieces and components are untreated and organized naturally, to total abstraction, which totally disregards patterns and rules.[6][7][8]

Today, there are many styles of floral design including the Botanical Style, the Garden Style (Hand Tied, Compote or Armature), the Crescent Corsage, the Nosegay Corsage, Pot au Fleur, the Inverted "T", Parallel Systems, Western Line, the Hedgerow Design, Mille de Fleur, and Formal Linear.[9]

When creating flower arrangements, there are generally seven principles that floral designers must incorporate into their arrangement to create a flattering and appealing piece. These seven principles include:[1][10][11]

• Proportion: the relationship between the sizes of elements used to create the design (e.g., flowers, foliage, vase, accessories).
• Scale: the relationship between the overall size of the design and the setting it is placed in.
• Balance: contains physical balance and visual balance. Physical balance is the distribution of materials and weight across the arrangement; the arrangement should be stable and not at risk of falling over. Visual balance is the poise an arrangement contains upon first glance. There are three types of visual balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and open.
• Focal point: the main feature of the design and/or the first thing that attracts the viewer's eye.
• Rhythm: the visual flow of the arrangement. This element should encourage the viewer's gaze to move inward, outward, up, and down while looking at the arrangement. Achieved through colors, shapes, lines, textures, and spaces.
• Harmony: the pleasing combination of colors, material, and texture used in the arrangement.
• Unity: everything is placed with purpose; achieved when the other 6 principles are in order.

It is important to keep in mind that not every arrangement will use all seven principles of design. For example, French Baroque and Rococo style arrangements do not include a focal point. Rococo designs also disregarded proportion; they were to be much taller than they were wide. Some traditional designs disregarded space (and therefore a part of rhythm).[5][2] Modern abstract designers may disregard the seven principles entirely.[7]

In addition to the seven principles, there are also five elements of design a designer must keep in mind when arranging flowers. These five elements include:[1][12][10][11]

• Line: provides the shape and structure for the design. Line also creates paths for the viewer's eye to follow when viewing the arrangement. Lines can defined (clearly visible) or implied (suggested by changes in color, tone, and texture). Line helps build the dimensions and overall shape of the design.
• Color: the color of the arrangement. There are numerous color schemes, such as monochromatic, triadic, analogous, or complimentary. Different color schemes provide different effects on the feel of the arrangement.
• Form: the height, width, and depth of the arrangement. Form also helps build the dimensions and overall shape of the design, much like Line.
• Space: the spacing of flowers, foliage, and other materials. Space ensures every flower is visible, and that the design is not too clumpy, constricted, spaced out, or empty.
• Texture: the different textures used in an arrangement. Texture gives the arrangement diversity and interest. Texture is one way a floral designer can achieve rhythm. Textures can be smooth, wrinkled, rough, glossy, etc.

The vast majority of the media used in floral design is fresh, or living, media. Fresh media includes flowers and foliage.

Flowers used in floral design are often broke into four categories: line flowers, form flowers, mass flowers, and filler flowers. Each category serves its own purpose in achieving an element or principle of design. The four categories are listed as follows:[13][14]

Examples for each category of flowers. Clockwise, from upper left: Bells of Ireland (line flower), moth orchid (form flower), waxflower (filler flower), carnation (mass flower).

• Line flowers are tall spikes of flowers that bloom along the stem of the plant. They create the outline for an arrangement and determine the height and width of the design. They can be straight, or naturally curving. Most line flowers have larger flowers at the bottom of the stem, that gradually become smaller the closer they are located to the end of the spike. This creates rhythm in the design, as the eye naturally follows the progression. Examples of line flowers include snapdragons, delphiniums, liatris, gladiolus, stock, cattails, and pussywillows.

• Form flowers are flowers that have interesting colors, textures, and/or patterns that draw attention and stand out among the other pieces in the arrangement. They are most often used as the focal point of the arrangement. Form flowers include irises, calla lilies, anthurium, and orchids.

• Mass flowers consist of a single stem with one solid, rounded head at the top of the stem. They add mass and visual weight to an arrangement. Mass flowers are often inserted near the rim of the container to draw attention to the focal point, or to serve as the focal point themselves. Mass flowers are often considered the "star of the show" in an arrangement. Oftentimes, more than one type of mass flower is used to create variety and to avoid monotony, or, to otherwise make the arrangement less boring. Mass flowers include carnations, chrysanthemums, daisies, anemone, dahlias, hydrangeas, and roses.

• Filler flowers are composed of small "sprays" of flowers. Filler flowers are used, as the name suggests, to fill in empty spaces among mass flowers and the framework of the design. Filler flowers also add further dimension to the arrangement. Examples of filler flowers are baby's breath and statice.

It is worth noting that just because a flower is defined in one category, that does not exclude it from other categories. For example, chrysthanthemums can be considered both a mass flower or a filler flower, depending on the size and variety of the bloom. Anthuriums and orchids can be considered form flowers, as well as mass flowers.

Other flowers commonly used by floral designers include peruvian lilies, cosmos, freesias, gardenia, hyacinth, kalanchoe, larkspur, lavender, lilac, lilies, limonium, lupine, peonies, phlox, protea, ranunculus, sedum, solidago, sunflowers, tulips, and zinnias.[15]

Much like flowers, foliage can also be divided into the same four categories. Usually, they are meant to accent what is being done by their flower counterparts.[13]

• Line foliages are effective for repeating and complimenting lines established by the line flowers. This creates repetition and unity within the arrangement. Much like line flowers, they can also be straight or curved. Examples of line foliage include bear grass, flax, ivy, and flat ferns, such as sword fern.

• Form foliages also have unique textures, patterns, or colors that allow them to shine through and stand out in an arrangement. Form foliage are often used to achieve the element of space. They also are used to drag the viewer's eye to the focal point. Form foliages include seeded eucalyptus, calathea, equisetum, diffenbachia, and galax.

• Mass foliages have the same purpose as mass flowers: to add mass and visual weight to the arrangement. However, they are also effective in filling empty space not occupied by flowers and hiding the mechanics of the design (e.g., floral foam, pot tape, etc.). Mass foliages include leatherleaf fern and salal.

• Filler foliages are used as accents to create harmony and unity. Depending on the texture of the filler foliage, there can be different effects on the feel of the arrangements. Fillers like plumosa asparagus and sprengeri fern lighten and soften, whereas coarse textures of plants like huckleberry and boxwood create contrast.

Another similarity shared in the categorization of foliage in the same way as flowers is that a certain type of foliage may be included in more than one category. Leatherleaf fern can be considered a mass foliage or a line foliage, and ruscus can be considered form foliage or a line foliage.

Other foliage utilized by floral designers today include Italian ruscus, Israeli ruscus, dusty miller, monstera deliciosa, eucalyptus (including silver dollar, gunnii, and baby blue), various types of ferns (such as tree fern), camellia, olive branches, hypericum berries, and pittosporum.[16]

Dried materials such as bark, wood, dried flowers, dried (and often aromatic) inflorescences, leaves, leaf skeletons, and other preserved materials are common extensions of the art and media of floral design. They are of practical importance in that they last indefinitely and are independent of the seasons. Their materials offer effects and associations complementary to, and contrasting with, fresh flowers and foliage.

A florist's shop in Paris.

Floral shops are business establishments that create and sell floral designs. Floral shops often have a vast variety of flowers and foliage to utilize in creating arrangements, which can be custom ordered or pre-designed. Floral shops usually receive a majority of their business on the following holidays and events: Christmas, Valentine's Day, Administrative Professionals' Day, Mothers' Day, All Souls Day, Advent, Easter, weddings and funerals.[25] Floral shops also include the other aspects of floristry, including marketing, buying and selling of flowers, production, etc.

A street vendor selling flowers from a bicycle on a street in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Street vendors that sell flowers and arrangements are called flower sellers. Flower sellers are popular in countries like Mexico, India, Vietnam and Southwestern states in the United States.

Prominent industry associations that promote floral design worldwide include the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD), the Society of American Florists (SAF), and the National Association of Flower Arranging Societies (NAFAS). In the United States, there are also numerous floriculture and floral design organizations for nearly all of the 50 states in the country.[26] These associations promote floral design through workshops, conferences, flower shows, and seminars.[27]

Notable floral designers include Daniel Ost, Junichi Kakizaki, Paula Pryke, Phil Rulloda, Catherine Conlin, Constance Spry, Jennifer McGarigle, Judith Blacklock, Stanlee Gatti, Irene Hayes, Julia Clements, Azuma Makoto, and the White House Chief Floral Designer.