Arrangement Flower Sitemap

Forward - This book was carefully planned for you who are, or should be, fascinated by the wonders of flower design. Those of you who are pro­fessionals in the field will also find it of great assistance.

There is no stress on rules, nor is there any need for formality; but the author feels that the amateur should learn the fundamentals of design and color before plunging enthusiastically into floral arrange­ment. He will thereby obtain the background which, in future attempts, will assist him in creating good designs.

01. Design + Color - To attain pleasing composition, one must know certain fundamen­tals of design. The successful arrangement shows to the onlooker, a completion of these basic principles:

This is the path which the eye takes from one part of the arrangement to the other. If an arrangement has good movement, the eye travels over it; absorbing the entire design in one glance.

02. You Need - There are only a few essential tools for your new hobby.

Sharp knife - Preferably a pocket knife for safety purposes.   It should be kept sharpened at all times.

Flower shears - Choose a pair which you can use with the least effort. Not too heavy, not too light.

Pruning shears - These are used in the arrangement of thick, woody stems and branches. Wire Cutters Household shears

03. Flowers Tips - Cut your flowers in the morning before the sun comes up, or in the early evening after it sets. The sun closes the pores of the blossoms, preventing the stems from absorbing water properly. Be sure to use a sharp knife or shears to avoid bruising stem tissues and leaving rag­ged edges. Cut steins at an angle. This will provide the stem with a broader surface for absorbing water.

04. Simple Arrangements - Let us start with a simple exercise. Our guide to proportion is an imaginary vertical line as tall as our tallest stem, leading down to the axis or center of the container. This line should be one and one half times the height of a tall container, and one and one half times the diameter of a low container.

Figure 11 is an excellent example of this type of proportion. You will note that in this arrangement the imaginary vertical line is em­phasized by a graceful gladiolus stalk. Always work from the front of the design to give yourself a proper view of the arrangement.

05. Ikebana - Japanese flower arrangement has a tradition and history which reaches far back into 553 A D, when the beginning of Buddhism in Japan gave birth to not only their religion but to their art as well.

Starting as insignificant decorations for the temple, branch, foliage and flower arrangements gradually became significant in the worship of Nature, and finally grew into the present highly developed art.

06. Setting Arrangement - The principle objective of this book is to show the reader how flower decoration can be adapted as part of the design of your home; once the desired theme is established. It is always good to remember that flowers should neither detract from nor over power your interior. Use flower decoration for its own loveliness or perhaps even to draw attention to another object of interest.

07. Table Decoration - Floral arrangements work wonders with table decorations. There are so many ways of employing different design techniques in making your table attractive and worthy of the delicious food which you no doubt set upon it.

Gardenias for the Table Figure 41

A - In this design we will use a simple figure eight, which will flow to the center of the design and combine the entire arrangement into one beautiful unit.

08. Season - Flower arrangement, contrary to common belief, is not a hobby for spring and summer alone. The "Great Outdoors" offers an abundance of plant material during every part of the year. Each season heralds the coming of a welcome new friend; tulips in spring, roses in sum­mer, Chrysanthemums in autumn. In between we have host of delight­ful flowers which do every garden justice

09. Winter Arrangements - The end of the summer does not necessarily mean that we who en­joy flower arrangement, shall put away our pruning shears and wait placidly for the next Spring to arrive. Autumn brings us a host of new plant material for designing. Oak leaves are now a rich, red brown; cat tails are ready for cutting, the grasses have gone to seed leaving a slender straw colored staff, and many of the trees are producing un­usually formed seed pods. Some of the winter fruits are appearing.

10. Holiday Decorations - If your are planning a holiday party, don't forget to invite flower arrangement. It will contribute to the spirit of the occasion and bright­en things in general. Every holiday can be accented with flower novel­ties, for in the great world of plant material we are sure to find just the color and form we seek to add significance to the reason for the celebration.

11. To Wear - Flowers not only beautify our surroundings, but have a great tend­ency to lift our spirit and brighten our appearance if we wear them. They are a principle accent in our attire for many occasions. A bride would look empty handed without her bouquet. There is a special glow in the eyes of a teenager when she receives her first corsage from a beau.

12. Foliage - The addition of foliage to your arrangement add the natural feeling of growth; which is one of the great beauties of plant material. It adds form, contrast in color and texture, all of which are taken into con­sideration when planning the design.

There is as much variety in form, color and texture in foliage as there is in flowers. It is amazing to the new comer to see what the accent on foliage will   offer the design.

13. Make Our Own - From the unhandiest to the most skilled of us, we all like to try our hand at "making something." Every home probably has a tool box, why not enlarge it? Get a few more accessories which would turn it into a work shop.

Some of the miscellaneous items to have around would be tempera and lacquer paints, clear lacquer, brushes, hammer, nails, sand paper, a small saw, scraps of board, a hand drill, string, cord, and anything else you can dig up in the attic or basement.

14. Something Different - It is highly improbable that you have anything around the house which is exactly like the pieces pictured in this chapter, since they were collected from various corners in the author's home. But it is very possible that you have similar objects and have wondered what could be done with them.

Perhaps these ideas will set your imagination to work. After you've looked them over, gather together your odds and ends of pottery, and adaptable container materials and see what you can do with them.

15. Suggestions - By now, if you've followed instructions faithfully throughout the book, you are ready to experiment with anything. You will find in this chapter, an assortment of different ideas. Try them all. Continued practice will stimulate confidence in your ability. You need not use the material mentioned, but something similar in form and line.

THE END