Floral Arrangement

Floral arrangement is an art that adds to the life and aesthetic appeal of the flowers while economizing on time and the expenditure on their purchase and presentation. Japanese are known to have perfected the art of floral arrangement called Ikebaba or Kado. According to them the art of floral arrangement is a source of pleasure, but if you study and practice the floral arrangement deeply it gives a spiritual bliss.

There are hundreds of books and articles on flower arrangement. To learn the art you need to read some of these good books. As you practice the art, you will gradually develop your own instinct that would work much better than the rules taught in these books. Still there are certain tried broad guidelines which may help at the initial stages.

The first rule in floral arrangement is to cluster small flowers in groups. If you try to mix small flowers with larger ones, they are likely to get lost. This may happen both literally and figuratively. Figuratively speaking, a small flower will lose its identity. It will be overwhelmed by the presence of the larger and more assertive flowers. The small flowers would get hidden and it becomes difficult to grab and position them amidst big flowers. If you group the small buds and flowers together, they would not only be easier to handle but they would also make a more distinctive impression.

You can tie them with a ribbon, rubber bands, floral wire or a tape.

Single flowers like roses look fabulous in bud vases or small containers. They can be made to float in smaller wineglasses or teacups and so on. A single flower may appear striking with its lone beauty.

Since each type of floral arrangement bears the unique imprint of the personality of the arranger, it would be a good idea to select a container that truly harmonizes with the design of floral arrangement. For example, you may consider an open container that cannot even hold water and place a smaller vase or a bottle inside it.

A horrible mistake that people make in cutting the flowers is the use of blunt knife or scissors to cut them in the garden or trim them to fit in a certain arrangement. Some even use their fingers to act as scissors. It must be remembered that a sharp knife is needed to make a sharp cut that will allow the water to seep into the stems. A ragged or blunt edge of a knife actually prevents the water and food absorption and results in withering away of your flowers faster.

You spend a lot of your imagination in selecting, trimming and arranging the flowers in a sparkling crystal container or a vase and then sit it in a sunny location forgetting altogether that your tender buds will not withstand the heat for a long time. The cooler the climate the longer the flowers will last. So keep your containers of flowers away from the strong sun light, heating vents, heaters, active fireplaces, stoves and even appliances that emit heat. Should you have no alternative to keeping your flowers in a warm location, make it a point to change the water frequently using very cold water. If possible add an ice cube or two to the water to enable it give longer life your flowers.

Many flowers are sensitive to strong odors. They also smell. Do not keep your flowers in tight quarters, hot rooms or even on the dinner table overlaid with ‘the stinkers’.

Moreover select only those flowers that emit pleasant fragrance. Bad smelling flowers in the garden or the florist shop may spoil the whole show with their unpleasant smell especially in a small room or in such a floral arrangement where the bad smell of the flower makes itself conspicuous.