Flower Arrangement
An importantpurpose of flower arranging is to make possiblethe enjoyment of nature within the home inthetnost artistic and satisfying manner. Arrange-ments in the home have become essential inour modern everyday living and are now beingused in public buildings as well as in the home.The site of the room in which the flowerarrangements are placed is one of the mostimportant factors to consider. A living room inthe average-sized home in the suburbs mightprovide a place for 3 or4 arrangements. Thelargest arrangement might be placed on a largetable or piano. On the mantle could be eitherlovv arrangement placed beneath a picture orpainting, or a balanced pair of arrangements oneither side. A small arrangement on a coffeetable in front of the sofa, scaled down to sizeand used to repeat or complement the largerdesign, might be another possibility. In a largetoots still another arrangement could be iscluded, small in scale again, on a table or desk.Arrangements should be planned for a specificsetting against a specific background and thissetting determines the choice of material, ofcontainer and design.
Flower arrangement is the art of organizingthe selected elements and principles of design toattain Beauty, Simplicity, Expression andHarmony. The principles of design are balance,scale and proportion, contrast, rhythm anddominance. With these principles in mind thearranger uses space, lines, forms, colors,pattern, and textures to create orderly beauty.
1.Balance. Equal distribution of actual orvisual weight on either side of a central axis.Without balance, the finished arrangement lacksstability. Symmetrical balance is attained byhaving both sides of the composition similar.Asymmetrical balance results when unequalelements are used on either side of a central axisand at different distances from the center, yetappear balanced on each side of the axis.
2.Scale and Proportion. Scale is the sizerelationship of the individual flowers to eachother, to their container and to the space thatthe design is to occupy in the room. Proportionis the size relationship of plant material to thecontainer and the whole to the space it is tooccupy. A simple guide would be to use plantmaterial at least fl times the height or width ofthe container.
3. Rhythm, Contrast, Dominance. Rhythm isthe smooth flow of material and color whichcarries the eye easily through the design.
Rhythm makes the design seem alive! Contrast gives variety and interest. One element must dominate – more of one line, form or directiion; more of one hue or value, unequal lengths of line, unequal sizes. Emphasize one color, form texture and size.
Flower arrangements should be practical aswell as beautiful. One should learn how to useavailable flowers when they are in bloom. Oneshould anticipate the need for certain woodyplants in flower arrangements about the home,then obtain them and plant them in the garden.Evergreens like Drooping Leucothoe, JapaneseAndromeda, English Ivy and the JapaneseUmbrella-pine sees few which are always goodin arrangements at almost any time of year.
Color
The color of the plant material should blendwell and be harmonious with the backgroundand furnishings in the room. When there is agreat variety of color in the room a simple elkgreen or all-white arrangement is often the bestsolution to an otherwise difficult color problem.A good color design may consist of only onecolor or hue in the room, known as a mono-chromatic arrangement, which may have bothlight and dark values of the chosen color. Themost dramatic is a complementary harmonyachieved by combining direct opposites of thecolor wheel, like green and red. Triads call for 3colors equidistant on the color wheel, forexample, orange, green and violet. A most restfultriad would be to use tins and tones of greenand violet with perhaps a touch of bright orangeas an accent.
Massed color has dramatic impact. Theamounts of color used must be chosen to createcolor balance, color dominance, color contrast,rhythm, proportion or scale. These principle must be applied to the handling of color in the same way as they apply to the handling of the design itself.
Color Wheel
The 3 primary or key colors are Red, Yellow, Blue and when mixed together in average pigments will form 3 secodary colors – orange, greem, and violet.
Mechanics
The mechanics of holding flowers andbranches of foliage in place is vital. A needle-point holder, usually a lead base with sharpbrass pins, fastened to the container withfloral clay or melted paraffin is used effectively.However, the container and needlepoint holdermust be thoroughly dry when this is done. In thecase of a very tall container a false bottom maybe made by filling the bottom with sand, sealingthe sand with a layer of melted paraffin, on thesurface of which is placed the needlepointholder.
Some arrangers find that chicken or turkeysite lightly folded and forced into the containeris also an excellent way of holding large stemsand branches in place. Oasis, a commercialproduct easily obtained from any florist shop, isfrequently used to hold flowers in place.Whenever mechanical aids are used, it is veryimportant to be certain that they do not show.These can easily be hidden by foliage material,green moss or natural stone pebbles.
Containers.The decorative scheme of the room shoulddictate the type of container to be considered.The form of the container itself is an importantfactor. An Early American home with rooms ofsoft pine or of painted backgrounds woulddictate the use of the more informal containers,
especially ironstone, pewter, earthenwarepottery, Chinese ginger jars, wooden bowls,baskets, etc. The chalice, epergne, orientalbronzes and compote forms arc in keeping withthe traditional background.
For the modern home, simple designs inbleached wood and pottery would be excellent.Large and heavy plant materials such asbranches of crab apples or evergreens belong ina container which suggests strength. Daintyarrangements should be placed in delicatevases.
The flower arranger should have a wideselection of containers from which to choose, forvariety in the use of the containers themselves isa factor always creating interest by those familiarwith the furnishings of a particular home.
How to Condition Fresh-Cut Plant MaterialIt is always best to cut flowers in the earlymorning or in the late afternoon, placing themimmediately in deep water. Before cutting,however, one should have a definite idea ofwhere the arrangement is to be placed to thatno more plant material is cut than is necessary.Also intelligent pruning should always beuppermost in one’s mind, for one can quicklymar the shape or form of an otherwise beautifulshrub or tree by improper cutting.
Always give the plant material a chance to”drink” before arranging. Strip all leaves fromthe stems below the water line, making aslanting cut on the end of the stem. Slash thecut ends of all woody stemmed materials such aslilacs, fruit tree branch., rhododendrons andazaleas, for this aids in the ability of suchbranches to absorb water in sufficient quantitiesand as a result they remain in good conditionmuch longer than they might otherwise.For flowers having gummy or milky juices,such as poppies, dahlias, lupins, singe the end ofthe stem over a flame to seal in the juices, andimmediately place in deep water in a cool placefor not less than hours or preferably over-night.
Flowers, particularly roses, that have beenleft out of water for a short time can be revived.Place them in a tall container and pour boilingwater around the stems—let them stand afew minutes and then plunge the stems into coldwater.
Church ArrangementsThe most important point to keep in mind isthe scale of the sanctuary and altar area itself.If a cross and candles are present they willdetermine the appropriate scale of the containerand flowers to be used. Proportion is anotherimportant part to consider—when the cross isused, it determines the height of the arrangenest. The background against which the floraldesign is to be placed will determine both colorand pattern of the flowers themselves. Thefinished work must have a sense of serenity andunity and the container must be in keeping withthe surroundings. The finished design may be aformal triangle type or a fan-shaped type. Whenan arrangement can be placed on either side ofthe cross it is possible to do 2 asymmetrical orsymmetrical arrangements. Usually masseddesigns are most effotive for the average church.
Constructing the Arrangement
Flowers from the florist should be crisp andfirm but sometimes need conditioning. Thesteins should be rout and soaked up to theflower heads for several hours before arrangingt hem.
1.The first step is to establish the 3 mainlines of the arrangement or backbone whichwill determine the design. The correct height,determined by the size and fortis of the con-tainer, is usually one and one-half to twice theheight of the container. Then cut the first place-ment to the exact length desired and secure itwell in the middle of the container, whenconstructing a symmetrical arrangement. It isvery important that this placement is absolutelyfirm and cannot move. The general design shouldbe augmented with 2 more primary lines. Seeillustration.
2.With the 3 main lines established, nextadd the secondary lines. If foliage is to be usedas the main line, then have a bud 3 inchesbelow the top main line in front and back tostrengthen the main line. All the flowers andbranches should appear to be coming from oneplace in the container.
3.With this as the main outline, supplemen-tary or “filler” material can then be added. Fillspaces between main lines with plant material ofuneven lengths and uneven voids. As all theselines converge at the focal point, place thelarger forms of plant material in this area. Besure to cover the rim of the container, and somecolor back of the arrangement to give the much-needed depth in the d.ign.
4.Do not let the final filling-in result in aconfused outline. The colors should be blendedvvell, there should be gradation in sizes andcolor of the flowers and there should be variedtextures and uneven spaces or voids.
Oriental TrendsFor many yors a new individual expressionhas been evident in American interpretations oforiental flower arrangements. Many newfreedoms with designs and materials are inpopular use inspired by the fresh treatments oftraditional patterns. Classical forms executed
with respect for the long-established rules offavorite designs; modern adaptations of thoseforms; free-style treatments which indicate acomplete break with the past. Modern inter-pretations of well-known flower styles areexciting and refreshing—endless new materialsmake the basic patterns look different. Today,the flower arranger seems limited only byknowledge and imagination.
Contemporary
Contemporary arrangements of today are notnecessarily modern but it is rather one which issuitable for any type of home. Contemporaryrooms, which are a blend of the old and the new,afford the flower arrangers a wide field. Thearranger must keep in mind these importantfactors which are:
1.LINE. ARRANGEMENT—line IS the dominant
form. It has an open silhouette and a restraintin quantity of material used.
2.MASSED LINE—is a line arrangement withmass added. The mass should never be crowdedto avoid hiding the beauty of the flowers.
3. MASS ARRANGEMENT—IS the opposite of
line in that it has a closed form. It has depth andis created by using uneven stems, placing certainflowers in profile and recessing some of thefocal area. Mass designs may be either symmetri-cal or asymmetrical in contour.
There are 4 basic types of American Con-temporary flower arrangements: Traditional.Expressive, Free Style and Abstract. Traditionalincludes line, massed line and mass. It isdramatic with the use of simpler and morefundamental forms—all non-essentials aresnipped away, pure design stands out in greatboldness.
Expressive arrangements are those that inter-pret a theme or express a mood, a feeling. Freestyle is an arrangement of good design createdoutside the established geometric patterns. Theplant material suggests the design.
Abstract arrangement is an expression in pureform, pure line, color and texture. It is a spaceart with space a part of the design around andwithin it. There is no focal point or focal area—the aim of the abstract is to create a compositionin which design is of paramount importance.Under Abstract arrangements are mobil.,stabiles, collages and assemblages.
In conclusion, the net of flower arranging is astudy in itself. There are many types of designsthat can be made to properly fit particularsurroundings, and learning to use the properflowers and colors in the right containers and inpredetermined designs presents an intriguingchallenge to the individual brave enough totry.
Many individuals have the ability to arrange
flowers properly without studied effort. Forthose who do not have the inborn ability it canbe acquired by study and practice. ManyAmerican women are enjoying the intricateprocedure of learning how to do it by carefulstudy. The large flower shows throughout thecountry are excellent places to see some of theoutstanding flower arrangements.
For those who have the time, the seriousstudy of flower arranging can be a most interest-ing and satisfying hobby, and for those for-tunate enough to have a garden as well, thepractice of flower arranging in all its interestingforms makes for the full appreciation of growingand using plants the entire year.
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