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mom_gw

Tricks to flower arrangements?

mom
22 years ago

Would someone share with me some tricks they have found for making floral arrangments? So you start in the middle and work out?...or on the outside and work in? Do you use odd numbers in your flowers? Greenery for filler? Thanks for all the help you can give me.

Comments (14)

  • lupinloon
    22 years ago

    Many professionals begin with greenery or filler and then add the flowers. I do it the other way so I can judge my placement better. Some general rules - the tallest stem should be 1-1/2 times the width (low container) or heigth (tall container) of your vase. Darker flowers should go near the bottom of your arrangement - lighter ones at the top. Decide if arrangement will be seen from all angels or if just one-sided, etc. Use foam to hold stems. Choose a container that is the same color as your flowers (some of them at least) or that is neutral. Experiment with water arrangements - use a small container for your foam and plants inside a larger flatter container. One of my favorites is: a large flower at the bottom,(a lily or dahlia, etc), smaller ones above it, and grasses to the proper height. I then place this inside my larger flat container and put rocks or a bit of sand inside and fill with water. I have a small deer that I then place inside the larger container. Always get rave reviews. It is a step in learning balance, color coordination, takes few flowers and makes a large statement. Also good for in the winter when we have to purchase everything........I am certainly not an expert and am still learning!! I go to flower shows to see what others do. True artists can break all the rules and design beauties but for us amatures, learning the basics first is a good place to start.

  • Josh
    22 years ago

    Have you checked out the Cutting Garden Forum? Try this link...lots of good ideas about containers, greenery, making flowers last longer, etc. jo

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Cutting Garden

  • djgfish
    21 years ago

    I need a flower arrangement idea for a Memorial Table at a class Reunion? (silk flowers)

  • Posie
    21 years ago

    As a flower arranger and Horticultural Judge I think one of your first lessons should be to buy a good book and learn the very basics of arranging. Second, learn how to condition your flowers before arranging, study your colors and the color wheel. Use odd numbers of flowers, i.e. 5 carnations, 7 batchlor buttons, 3 cosmos....always work with odd numbers, this includes the number of flowers and the number of colors. Most arrangements will have a center imergence point. All flowers should come from as near the center as possible. Deceide where the arrangement will be placed, what flowers you have, then choose a vase. A dark green, Dark brown or black vase is best because it does not distract from the flowers. Your Public Library should have books on Flower Arranging or the best book of all books that I have found is: Creative Flower Arranging by Betty Belcher. Of all the many, many books I have, this is the superior one and is only $30. All books seem to be expensive. Hopefully this will help.....have fun!

  • Marybearry
    21 years ago

    Djgfish, I always put in the large flowers first, and put one in the middle, and then place several in other places in the arrangement. I try to put them so that if I put one halfway down on the left, then I will place one in the same height on the right. Try to place them with some symmetry, and look at the overall shape you are creating (dome, triangle, etc). Fill in between with smaller flowers, then greenery. If you are working in silks, get some really good wire cutters to cut the stems for placement, and buy some floral foam to stick them in. If you need to make them taller, buy florist wire cut and wrap with florist tape to make them the height you need. All the supplies I listed are available at Walmart, Michaels, etc...
    For containers, use something festive, or even red, white and blue flower pots. Usually you want the flowers to be no more than 1 1/2 times the height of your container.
    Also, anywhere you see pictures of flower arrangement, ie magazines, newspapers, etc. you can always look at their idea for size and placement, then use your own colors etc to make it your own.
    I am a grad of floral design school, and my parents owned a florist shop that I worked in for years. Customers always raved about my work. I work in corporate America now, but I always love to make floral arrangements for my friends at work. Happy arrangements. Feel free to email me if you have any questions I can help you with.

  • ramona
    21 years ago

    Master one container at a time. IF you have a tall vase,
    keep working with arrangements until you feel you
    understand what shape works best in that container. Then work
    with another container and so on. I keep
    a scrapbook and make notes of the particular colors
    and flowers that I like best in each container. I also note
    how each type of flower stem is to be conditioned to make
    the arrangement last as long as possible. I also clip
    out pictures of floral arrangements I like from magazines. Filler material is everywhere but I had to learn to see it.
    Taking a class somewhere is also useful.

  • princesssteph
    20 years ago

    Hi my name is Stephanie Carter I'm 16 years old. I'm thinking about starting a business in flower arrangments and I was wondering if you can give me some tips on the price I should sell them so it could go with everyones budget. I also wanted to know if you can send me some more information on the types of arrangemets sold and the instructions on how to do them. Please get back to me as soon as possible.

    Sincerely,
    Stephanie Carter

  • janengland
    20 years ago

    Stephanie-your prices are going to depend on several factors- where you live (a rose costs more at a florist in Manhattan than it does in Sioux City, for example),which flowers you use (a lily costs more than a daisy),how many stems you use, and so forth. If you are starting a business, you need to consider YOUR budget as much, if not more, than "everyones" budget.
    As for instructions on how to make arrangements, and types, your first step might be to obtain books from your local library on flower arrangement,types of flowers, etc.Flower arranging cannot truly be taught via instructions via the Internet. You might check around your local nursery or florist to see whether they have any part-time help for shop help, stocking etc. Another thought- make sure you're not allergic to flowers! I have a friend that worked at a florist and gradually realized that she was allergic to most of the flowers!!Achoo!! Good luck to you.

  • Monique_CA
    20 years ago

    Hi Stephanie,

    I used to do wedding flowers out of my home. Unless you have a great farmer's market nearby that sells flowers at great prices, you need to look in the phone book under "florist-wholesale", and find out where you can buy your flowers wholesale (this is where retail florists get theirs, to mark up). Many of them also sell the floral foam, wire, etc that you will need. Wholesale florists are sometimes found in big cities in a "floral district", but sometimes they are found in medium-sized cities, to service the local retail florists. You will probably need to get a resale license to buy from them. Here in California, we get them from the State Board of Equalization - I don't know what your government agency is called. One thing that I did, that was tremendous in getting my business going, was taking floral design classes at my local community college. The instructor not only taught us design, but took us to the floral district market, taught us how to price, which flowers were in season, etc. I took 4 classes. Or another good idea mentioned above, is to get some experience at a florist. They often hire extra people during any holiday period. Good luck to you!

  • littleredhen
    20 years ago

    I was lurking in this particular forum, and decided to jump in. I am not a professional flower arranger, but love to play around in my spare time. Last Christmas I had the wonderful opportunity to help a family friend in a local flower shop. I learned a lot. With fresh arrangements, we put the wet oasis flower foam in the container, so that it stuck above the container about an inch. Then we taped it into the container with two pieces of floral tape. Next came greenery. Put it here and there into the oasis, with some of the greenery flowing over the sides of the container. Then add the big flowers first. Put a tall one in the center, then add more of the same flowers here and there, but each at different heights. Then put in smaller flowers, and filler if you want. Everyone does things differently, but I was taught to have each flower at a different height. As others have stated, you need to decide on a shape. Like for a low container, you might not want a tall arrangement, but low and spread out to the sides. I learned another neat thing, that I never would have done on my own. I like to make silk arrangements. Let's say for example that you have a single stem with white carnations on it. Maybe there are five carns going down the stem. I used to take a stem like that, and simply stick it down into the dry foam. But! What I was taught, was that you cut off the lower flowers on the stem, only leaving one or two at the top, then stick the tall stem in, with the one or two flowers, then use the flowers that you cut off, in lower places in the arrangement. Hope that makes sense! Below is a sample of something I recently made. Not my best work, but it was fun to make! Good luck

    Here is a link that might be useful: sample

  • blossoms69
    20 years ago

    Can anyone give me any help on how to make cementary arrangements out of silk flowers, such as how to arrange those that go on top of the monument, vases, baskets, etc?

    thanks,
    blossoms69

  • tracy_2010
    13 years ago

    This site seems to have good pix and how-to steps:
    http://www.mywisewife.com/creative-floral-arrangement-part6-compose-a-poodle.html

    Check out more at the related articles..

  • australiaflowers
    13 years ago

    thanks guys for your valuable information abt arrangement of flowers

    Here is a link that might be useful: western australia flowers

  • prairiegirlz5
    13 years ago

    I know this is an old thread, but I really appreciate the information. I had to stop taking classes and get a job, and was lucky enough to get offered a part-time position in a gift shop making silk arrangements. The problem is, I've only had one basic floral design class using fresh flowers. It has so far required some mind-set adjustment to get used to the possibilities of working with silks. I am drawn to Ikebana and the more modern styles of arranging. As far as using metal picks or glue to attach the pieces, which is best to use when?

    Here's how I started my first piece. I glued the dried floral foam to the pot, then glued the sheet moss on top. There was a little bun on the moss that I wanted to keep open as negative space. Then I attached the line flowers to create the shape, or outline, I wanted to work within. I used corn lily vining around the pot, and attached a low focal magnolia flower to one side. Then I filled in with more flowers to make it pleasing to the eye from all sides. I added a few taller flower stems next to the focal flower, and some dried line flowers to contrast to them. These were all grouped forward in the pot, mostly to one side, attached by metal picks made with a pick machine. I have had no formal training, and was just winging it.

    The shop people said they'd never seen anything like it, but they liked it! I need to keep up that momentum. I am way too slow; this small arrangement took me close to 45 minutes.

    My second arrangement didn't go so well. It took over an hour to execute, I just couldn't get started. I think my inspiration was blocked by negative energy or lack of confidence. I was given a glazed terracotta pot, with a frog on the side. This frog threw me, I have no idea why.
    I needed to do a simple spring arrangement, but I think I started backwards? I went from the outside in, with white fluffy flowers with an underskirt of green filler. I placed a couple of stems of lavender in the center, for color and contrast, and then added a few yellow line flowers. Not my best effort, it was just ho-hum. I wanted to use the stem that looks like a frog's tongue, or a snail, as the accent flower but I don't know what it's called or what material it is made from? I think maybe a white lily instead of the lavender would've worked better. Please help!

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