Floral Design Course

Class is now in session. Please take you seats and pull out your notebook and flowers. This course is designed on a weekly basis, which more than likely will be on a bi-weekly, with Teensy and all. Terri, please quit passing notes to Karma and PAY ATTENTION. Thank you. There are basically two to four sections of each unit. The first is a reading assignment. I will read it and paraphrase the lesson. Then there is vocabulary. There are words defined in each section, pertinent to floral arrangements. These are the two main subjects. Next is the actually arrangement. I will post the details of each. Finally, there is an on going study of vase life. There is a list of flora and fauna (I used that, not the book. Look at me :^D) in which you observe, throughout the course, the vase life of individual flowers and foliage. I will give more detail on this later. So, please turn off all cell phones. Diggerette, spit out that chewing gum, Star, quit giggling back there, and let us begin.

I have to run out real quick but wanted to get it started. See ya'll in a couple of hours.

Woohoo, I'm the first to enroll! May I start the roll call? Karma. . .PRESENT! Terri. . .

here miss!

Diggerette. . .

Here!

Starlight. . .

Marcia here. Eagerly awaiting class, it is too cold to play outside (8 degrees)

If anyone find's Ms. Propagtr's keys, please return them to my desk. I will not punish anyone and assume you simply found them. Thank you.

Ok class, first, let's give a big welcome to our newest student, Marcia. Marcia has come all the way from Wisconsin, so please try to make her feel welcome. Also, thank you, Karma, for taking roll. I am very happy you were all able to join.

In this class there will be no tardy slips. Come and go as you please. Like I stated above, this will be more bi-weekly, which will allow more time for everyone. I will be adding additional information throughout the time, as it will be hard to do it all at once. If you don't feel like doing a particular arrangement, don't. There are no grades in here, only encouragement. Be kind to each other, but do give constructive criticism. This is to learn and we have some wonderful students who have experience and a knack for detail, so please speak up if you think another "idea" might work. From my brief experience in floral arrangement, the "seeing from another perspective" has helped me tremendously, even if it was to move a flower from the top to the bottom of the arrangement. Conversely, if "ideas" are given, don't take them to heart. It is one fellow student helping another grow and learn. No one in here would ever intentionally be critical to be mean. One of our students, who will not be named, was afraid she hurt my feelings on my first attempt. To the contrary, she gave me a different perspective, which was greatly appreciated and enhanced the design.

OK, I have two tropical plants in my truck, so I must look for my keys again. I will be right back with the first part of this unit.

Still no keys on my desk. Come on class, someone fess(confess, have to spell correctly for another project I am involved in) up.

I am going to implement the vocabulary words in the reading assignment, so I won't have to duplicate it. The Vocabulary words will be in bold.

In the mean time, here is a synopsis of the reading assignment this week. The bulk of it was on the history of floral design and jobs in the floral industry. I am going to leave this out and stick to the mechanics of design. This week is very basic, as I even knew most of this. But I am going to summarize it anyway, for I did learn a few things.

Introduction to care and handling: This will be explored in more detail in later chapters, but these are the basics.

To extend the vase life of a flower, there are several steps you can take.

1. Recut the stem. This is necessary to prevent stem blockage or plugging. Flowers usually cannot absorb water through the bottom of the stem. The original cut opening may be blocked due to dirt, scar tissue, and/or microorganisms. Cut the flower on a diagonal from one to two inches from the bottom. Holding the stem, especially roses, under warm water in a sink while cutting stops air bubbles from entering the stem. When the stem is removed from the warm water, the droplets form a seal at the cut, not allowing air to enter. The diagonal cut allows more surface area to draw in the water. Please use floral clippers or a sharp CLEAN knife. The knife was provided with the lesson. Household scissors tend to pinch the stem. Recut the stem every 2 to 3 days. Change the water at the same time.

2. Foliage and thorns. No leaves should be below the water line. It will speed up the decaying process and gives off ethylene, a gas which reduces the vase life. Later we will discuss ways to fight ethylene. Be cautious not to cut into the stem or the tear the outer skin when removing. It caused unnecessary stress on the flower. Strippers can be purchased to remove foliage/thorns as well. Thorns can damage other flowers in the vase, so remove with the knife or clippers.

3. Warm water. It contains less oxygen and flows better than cold. Clean all vases after use to avoid build up. Use dish soap, or if residue is present, a dash of clorox can be added to the cleaning. Repeat after me, "dirty equals damage".

4. floral preservatives. Commerical floral preservatives, made up of sugar, biocide (kills some bacteria) and citric acid extends the life of the flower. add to warm water BEFORE the flowers are added. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE PACKET. Make sure it is completely dissolved. Non dissolved preservatives can clog or block the stem. Some metals containers react with the preservative, so put in a liner. Sugar, pennies and aspirin do not extend the vase life. However, non diet lemon-lime drink (i.e.Sprit) does work sometimes, by keeping water clean and lower acid content. Roughly, one 12 oz can per gallon of water. It is recommended to use the floral preservative.

5. Avoid areas where the flowers can dry out quickly. Figure out problem areas, intensive sunlight and drafty areas caused by A/C or heater. Keep arrangements out of the way to avoid accidental bumping and curious fingers.

Additional vocabulary word. Ikebana- Japanese designing. rigid rules based on a philosophy of life. It means "giving life to flowers". Simplistic design and uncluttered line. Make the most with few flowers. You may look up this style on the internet (actually my favorite and someone else's too).

Other words I won't define unless asked.
Chaplet, Wreath, Garland, Cornucopia, Art Deco, Wire service

That's it for the reading assignment. Please feel free to ask for further explaination as this is a summary.

Will be right back (stupid keys) with more.

Forgot to add above. Do NOT buy expensive knives. They tend to get misplaced. Instead by several cheapies. If it is lost, no biggie.

SUPPLEMENTAL PROJECT - ARRANGEMENT

Style - bud vase arrangement

Materials
inexpensive bud vase. I purchased one today for 79 cents.
Fresh flower and foliage - read all before purchase
knife or clippers

1. size of vase vs. size of flowers - hole large enough for flowers - proper weight of vase for selected flower, so no toppling - Height: "rule of thumb (sometimes I think)" finished design should be 1 1/2 times the height of vase. Example - vase is 6" - arrangement 9" above the rim of the container (6 x 1.5 = 9). Thus the stem should be 9" (the height above the vase) plus vase height, 6" for a total of 15". Took me forever to figure this out. lol.

2. fill vase with warm water and appropriate amount of preservative (before flowers are put in).

3. Cut stem at angle. To judge cut, hold the flower up to the container, so the head is (in this example) 15" tall. Cut to size.

4. Place flower. If more than one, stagger at steps, GRACEFULLY. Top of second flower just below first, etc. Position second slightly to the side. If third is used, position under head of second flower on opposite side.

6. Foliage - lowest leaves touch the rim of vase. This anchors the arrangement. Attempt to intertwine by placing in front of flower stem. Gently move foliage about midway to the back of flower stem. This places it behind flowers, but enhances it. Foliage does not have to reach the top of flowers. Eucalyptus, bear grass, monkey grass, or linear greens are fine to reach top. Bushy or big foliage can overpower flower. So watch this. LET THE FLOWER BE SEEN. Also, foliage should be larger at base and taper to the top of arrangement.

START SAVING POSSIBLE VASES. I have 1 1/2" candlestick holders, MOM blue bottles, ornamental iron candle holds, olive tray, and other quirky "vases". Just about anything can be used. Use your imagination. Look around your house.

On going project - time and MONEY permitting.

Visit different types of floral shops, i.e. small business, Walmart, Floral Market, Grocery store. This helps determine the differences in flowers from different shops. Throughout the next few months, purchase individual flowers for the next few months. It states to try to limit it to one, but right now I am observing 5. With each flower, you may purchase one foliage or do this at a later date.

Obtain correct name of flower from seller. Write it down and work on pronunciation. Use floral preservative.

As soon as you can, properly cut flower and place in vase (as done above). REMOVE foliage below water line. Change water every day or so.

Place in location where you will see it several times a day. Write common and scientific name in large letters and place in front of flower. Repeat name when you see it.

Find flower in suggested list. Just ask me if I haven't posted it yet. Instead of typing all the information with the flower, I will then list what the book has written. Pay attention to common name, availability and vase life (info in the appendix).

Make log
sketch flower on top of page.
write all common names down, most common first.
write scientific name.
time of year it was available.
expected vase life (I provide from book)
Exactly how long the flower observed lasted.

Note differences between information I provide from book and actual observations. If different, why? Think about the condition of flower, care and handling, conditions of room where placed. Write down thoughts. If you can, make adjustments and try again.

I WILL CONTINUALLY WORK ON THE LIST OF SUGGESTED ONES, STARTING WITH THE NAME AND THEN ADDITIONAL INFO. BY NO MEANS, DO NOT LIMIT YOURSELF.

LIST OF FLOWERS TO OBSERVE

1. Carnation: standard, miniature (pixie, spray), pinks (spray)
2. Rose: Large, sweetheart (mini), spray
3. Liatris
4. Glads - standard and mini
5. Alstroemeria
6. Aster: Monte Casino, China Aster
7. Snapdragon
8. Iris
9. Baby's breath
10. Stock
11. Larkspur
12. Freesia
13. Lily: Asian, Oriental, Easter, Calla
14. tulip
15. daffodil
16. Marguerite daisy
17. Gerbera daisy
18. 'mums: pompon or spray, varieties (button, daisy, cushion, spider, others), single-head (fuji, incurve or football)
19. Star of Bethlehem
20. Wax flower
21. Leptospermum
22. Statice
23. Heather
24. Sweet William
25. Bird of paradise
26. Agapanthus
27. Queen Anne's Lace
28. Anemone
29. Anthurium
30. Protea

I will edit to add foliage later

NEXT LESSON: Composition, Harmony, Unity"

BY THE WAY, IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG IN YOUR OWN BOOK, THE NAME IS "THE ART OF FLORAL DESIGN". THIS IS THE BOOK WHERE A LOT OF THE INFO WILL COME FROM, BUT NOT ALL

Have fun. Please offer any ideas or questions on how to do this more cohesively if you have any. Thanks!!

Good Morning All, I'm very excited about floral lessons. Let's give it up for Traci-applause, applause, Thanks Traci!
Thank you so much for our first lesson and for your generousity with both your time and money. You are truly a very special person.

I hope I'm not disrespectful or obnoxious, but there is no reason why we can not make our own floral preservative. Here is a recipe from The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

Homemade Flower Preservative by Rose G. Edinger
Home mixes can be as effective as commercial preservatives. This easy-to-make recipe is my favorite.
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon household bleach
2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
1 quart lukewarm water

Thanks Diggerette!! That means a lot to me.

Not disrespectful at all. This is what I hope to gain by doing it here. A book is great, but personal experience is best. Ideas, discussion and lovely creations are all welcome here. The commerical packets contain sugar, biocide (which kills some bacteria) and citric acid. Yours has surgar, bleach and lemon or lime juice. Works for me!! I love an effective but cheap way to do it yourself. Thanks so much.

Just an idea. If a question is asked on the thread, I think we should put it in bold. This will help it not get skipped over. To type something in bold first use the "less than" arrow. Then put in the letter "b". Then do the greater than sign, which is >. Type in the question. At the end, do the same thing, but put a / before the b. This will stop the bold. So it is . Question, then .

It states to mix the preservative in warm water. I always thought the cut flowers were placed in cold. If you make the mixture before you put the flowers in, the water will be warm. What is the proper way to do this? It may explain more later, but I want to know now. lol.

Thanks,
Traci

P.S. I will also post additional information with the heading in bold. For example, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This message was edited Jan 18, 2008 12:11 PM

OK, half the post disappeared. I'll find the link on how to do it.

Tammy or anyone else, I did not type that as above. The computer deleted half of it lol.

http://davesgarden.com/faq/forums/#131
Let's see if this works.

Thanks Traci, Now I know how to do those things. Thanks!

I totally agree with Adele regarding your efforts in sharing this information with us Traci. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE APPLAUSE Thank you!

Adele, thanks for the recipe. I may do an experiment with a flower in plain water, one in floral preservative, and one using your recipe, to see which gives the longest vase life.

I'm not sure if I can answer your question Traci. The only thing I can think of is if you're gathering flowers from your own garden in warm weather. . .you might not want to shock your flowers with cold water initially? But if you're buying it from the florist/market that's refrigerated, I'm not sure why you couldn't just use cold water. I know warm water is used to encourage flowers like lilies and glads to open. I guess the preservative dissolves better with warm water? If so, then I guess I would want to wait for the water to reach room temp before I design. At the shop, they have hoses that are hooked up to a premix water system (have no idea how they did that), and I don't think the water was warm.

Karma, An experiment,I love experiments! I'll do it, too. Let's try to have the same variables. The flowers that I can get easily by my house are roses and mums. How about you?

Diggerette, when you say the same variables, do you mean the flowers or the water? Are you wanting to do the same flowers or each try different ones? I am in, but it may be a couple of weeks. Today, I am going to work on the ones I have. Tomorrow is packed full and then I get TEENSY!! It would be good doing both. Water only, we would have more data on the different flowers. Same flowers, we would have a more controlled experiment. You make the call.

Karma, I didn't know that was what warm water did, encourage them to open. No wonder the tulips I bought yesterday are now fully opened. I was so upset, as some of them were great buds. That is why this is going to be good. Learning things like that. I think I will dissolve it in lukewarm water, put it in the fridge and let it get cold, and then go buy my flowers and put back in fridge. Do you think that would work?

Thanks!!

I meant flowers but you're right, water varies. So, lets use a brand name water- Poland Springs? What else do we need to do?

For more of a controlled experiment, you could get into a lot of details. How was the preservative prepared (like above where I asked Karma about water temp), Temperature of the room where the flowers are in water, natural and artifical light. To keep it relatively simple, I would focus on the water prep and temperature of the room. I keep my house at 70 degrees at all times. You may like it cooler, being a yankee and all (just playing). I can adapt to the temperatures you use in your house. It is sweltering in here right now. As far as water, how it should be prepared, i.e. refrigerate it first or room temperature. What do you think?

Traci, the tulips will close back up if you put it somewhere cold. Leave them outside (if it's not freezing) when you go to bed, and bring them back inside to enjoy in the morning.

For the experiment, use the same flowers in the same bunch. They were probably cut and packed at the same stage. I'm not sure what I will use, but not carnations, mums, or alstromeria lilies. They last 2-3 weeks and I don't know if I can wait that long! I think I will get gerber daisies to try.

Diggerette, the only thing that should be different is what we're testing=the preservative. Everything stays the same. Same water, same temperature, same room, same vase, same flower etc. Only difference is the water medium=one with plain water, one with plain water mixed with preservative, and home made preservative made with plain water. I don't think it would matter what type of water you used vs. what I used because we will all be in different environments anyway. Does that make any sense?

Traci, SNAP. . .exactly what I was trying to say it. . but you said it way better!

Traci, which temp of water is best will be a whole different experiment.

Just be consistent with the temps when setting up your experiment. I just reread your posts, are we supposed to do this consistently among us? That would be almost impossible.

This message was edited Jan 18, 2008 3:17 PM

Okay wait, what if I did the water temp experiment instead? One with the same preservative mixed with warm water, one with preservative mixed with cold water, and one mixed with warm water and cooled in fridge?

This message was edited Jan 18, 2008 3:28 PM

I was assuming it would be roughly around the same time period. You may start yours this weekend, I won't start mine until two weeks, but generally the same temp times. I guess it really doesn't matter, as with each season, we change the thermostat to keep the house comfortable. For a controlled study, we would all need to do the same flowers. That way you have data on the same flower from different people. Same goes for water.

Why don't you do the water temp one and Dig (if that is ok to call ya) and I could do the same flowers and water? What say all ya'll?

I'll do the water temp. If I have left over flowers, I will try the preservative thing.

Sorry ya all, moving from the back of the class to the front, can't read the blackboard from way back there and about deaf in one ear, so I gotta sit up front by our teacher. : ) Thought she kept tellign us to repeat "flirty equals damage," which caused Karma to keep poking me in the ribs. Poking her back. : )

Great idea having a class and do appreciate ya sharing and taking the time to post it along for us. learned some new words today. : )

Are we mad scientists, or what? I was just trying to make it as reasonable as possible( I'm a science teacher). I have to disagree about not controlling the type of water. Since,some water is harder than others(does that affect the water's ability to dissolve?) and that might be more of a factor than room temperature,since room temperature is ,well, room temperature about 70 degees.Maybe not, but that was my thinking. I agree about the temperature of water. O.K. so the variables we are controlling are-flower, -temp of water- amount of water?-type of water?, amount of preservative. What else?

I tried the layering part of the lesson. And my observations are that mums do not like to have their petals touched. They fall off and to make beautiful arrangements, you need beautiful flowers and the appropriate foliage for the flowers. I didn't have the proper foliage or beautiful flowers but this is my layering design.

Nice layering Mad Scientist. . .I mean. . .Diggerette! What are the balls in the test tubes?

Thank you,Karma mad scientist of New Orleans:)The balls are cranberries.

I just reread our thoughts about the experiment and I think this experiment is way out of control! I'm going to do my own thing. Please, let me know what flower you are going to use. Hey, wait a minute. Didn't I say this before. Oh,oh here we go again.

Diggerette, LOL. . .I thought so too. All I wanted was to see if the home recipe worked better! Now, I'm testing water temps too LOL. Not sure what I'm doing anymore. But I'd like to try it with gerbers.

I know Karma, me too .lol Gerbers it is!

Ok, here is my bud vase. I should have removed one of the leaves that flopped over. I think the right one would have been the one.

Karma, too cool on the tulips. I put them in the fridge and the closed right back up. Rock on with your bad self!!

Also, It is too symmetrical. You know me, a little off center. The left bud should be lowered a bit. Too late, it has already been taken apart and put back in the fridge.

That is a good assessment Pupil. Great Job!