The style of exquisite floral compositions is created thanks to a variety of materials of natural and artificial origin. An experienced florist, using all sorts of improvised means, skillfully brings to life original ideas and fantastic ideas. Separate properties of plants, herbs, fruits serve as the basis for creating a general decorative picture.

The most popular floristic material are items of plant origin:

• branches of trees and shrubs;
• live and dry herbs;
• mosses and lichens;
• parts of plants (needles, birch bark, cones);
• fruits, vegetables and berries.

Let us dwell in more detail on the characteristics of individual decorative materials from which the author's floral compositions are built.

Branches of trees and shrubs

Large branches, straight or intricately curved, are ideal for creating the basis of plant arrangements, while thin flowering branches can emphasize the elegance or splendor of a bouquet. Branches with bright beautiful buds do not require additional decor: a few flowering shoots of lilac or jasmine - and we have a fragrant spring composition in front of us.

Fruit branches with bright, colorful berries of various shades help to create an unusual image and dilute the monotony. Branches with thorns and large spines look original, giving bouquets dynamics and expressiveness.

Grass and straw

The rustic texture of the grass, combined with similar rough surfaces or, conversely, smooth and elastic, is suitable for vegetative arrangements. The shape and dimensions of individual elements allow the use of grass to create compositions with weaving elements. Dry cultures do not lose their plasticity, therefore they are also used for decoration with complex weaving.

A truly natural material is straw, which has a rough texture, a pleasant golden color and a natural smell. It can be used alone - for weaving carpets, making fabrics and wallpapers, but is especially expressive in combination with fragile living buds, when hard straw elements emphasize the beauty of delicate petals. Simple, rustic, original material is used to solve design problems in line with the fashion trends of primitivism and naturalization.

Lichens and mosses

Unique symbiotic materials with an interesting natural structure have a set of properties that allow them to become an excellent decor:

• have a rich color palette, have shades from pastel pale pink and silver to flashy orange and calmer olive;
• vary in size, structure and shape;
• have an unusual noble texture, reminiscent of openwork lace.

Mosses, like lichens, serve as an original decorative border when composing compositions from dry herbs or fresh flowers. Especially the contrast with living plants gives the arrangement a deep imagery and refinement.

Needles and cones

Amazing parts of coniferous plants are perfect for Christmas and New Year compositions. Winter bouquets of Christmas and pine branches, neat Christmas wreaths on the door, candle stands made of coniferous branches not only decorate and create a festive atmosphere with their appearance, but also smell wonderfully of resin. A magical combination of juniper, spruce, fir branches with shiny glass balls, sweets, fruits and tinsel is an attribute of the most significant and fun holiday.

birch bark

The decorative and functional properties of birch bark were valued by our ancestors. Durable and easy to process, the material has long been used in folk crafts for the manufacture of bast shoes, tuesks, boxes, dishes and even dolls. Flexible, lightweight and water-resistant, this material is perfect for decorating rustic plant arrangements like no other.

seeds and dry leaves

Textured, artistically valuable dried leaves and seeds of plants create a wide scope for decorating plant compositions. Seeds of legumes, sunflowers, chestnuts, oaks, pumpkins are symbols of fertility, wealth, harvest and are ideal for collages and autumn-themed ornaments. Dry leaves are perfectly transformed, in a straightened and twisted form they are used to make bouquets, collages, applications.

Vegetables, fruits and berries

The fruits of plants are a rich potential for the embodiment of floristic ideas. A variety of color palettes, sizes, various shapes allows you to create unique masterpieces that symbolize fertility and prosperity. Bright vegetable crops are in perfect harmony with rough rustic materials - burlap, wood, birch bark. Carving for vegetables and fruits is very popular - carving, as a result of which a melon or watermelon can be turned into a beautiful rosebud.

The fruits are easy to transform, they can be crushed, cut, cored, strung on a wire. Berries are often used directly on the branch in composition with live plants or dried flowers.

Along with plant floristic material, other natural components are actively used, as well as substances created or modified artificially. Some of them serve as the basis for creating arrangements, while others, on the contrary, serve as an elegant decor or a sophisticated addition.

Wax

The most inconceivable fantasies can be embodied in flower arrangements using such a plastic and easy-to-work material as wax. Initially, plates are made that are convenient for cutting: melted wax is poured into special molds or onto a horizontal surface. Details of various sizes, colors and shapes are cut out of blanks, strung on a wick and floristic candles are obtained. When heated, the wax becomes malleable, depending on the design tasks, you can easily change its configuration or use it as a base for filling. Among the most popular fillers are plant elements, pebbles, pieces of bark. Working with wax is reminiscent of jewelry craftsmanship, with the help of which amazing author's masterpieces appear.

Decorative gravel and earth

Multi-colored pebbles of bright colors are great for filling vessels made of transparent material, such as glass or plastic. You can achieve an excellent effect by pouring elements of various shades into one container.

With the help of ordinary earth, amazing natural planters are made. The creation process is quite simple:

1. We inflate a regular rubber balloon.
2. We coat it with a thick, dense layer of earth mixed with an adhesive solution.
3. We give the pots the desired shape and wait for complete drying.
4. We blow off the ball, and fill the inside of the resulting container with fertile soil.

The result is a beautiful, comfortable planter for planting cultivated plants or flowers. Outside, the product can be decorated with decorative elements - ribbons, beads, colorful drawings.

shells

Shells give a marine theme to floral compositions, and compositions from them are especially good in combination with exotic plants of the tropics. Gentle sea surf, foaming storm waves, scorching sun of equatorial latitudes - the use of shells in arrangements suggests the most amazing ideas and analogies. There are a lot of ways to use marine material: it is a filler for transparent containers, raw materials for transformation, and details for making original collages. Shells are wonderfully combined with natural elements, and with metal and glass decor.

Feathers

Luxurious peacock and ostrich, no less soft and fluffy swan feathers are used in flower arrangements, and quite often they are remembered when Easter is approaching. The dynamic natural texture of feathers harmonizes with both flower buds and the smooth texture of herbs. It is not customary to use chicken and other feathers in compositions for kitchen and dining tables, as biological material is considered unsuitable from a hygiene point of view.

floral paper

Traditionally, paper is a convenient decorative packaging for bouquets, a material for creating gift boxes or bags. Floristic paper differs from ordinary paper and is decorated with plant elements - seeds, blades of grass, flowers even at the manufacturing stage. The technology of creation is unusual and complex, because the process of turning cellulose and plants into beautiful decor is not just a mechanical action, but the whole art of immersing yourself in the secrets of the physics and nature of things.

Thanks to a variety of floral materials, it is possible to perform the most difficult tasks of decorative design - to create unique author's masterpieces filled with a deep idea, inexhaustible imagination and skill.

In floristry, a wide variety of natural and even synthetic materials are used, helping the master to emphasize the beauty of plants, to express the idea more fully, to create a certain style. Each of the materials has its own unique characteristics, according to which it is used for a particular purpose.

Branches of trees and shrubs

Branches of trees and shrubs, especially ornamental, flowering ones, can be an excellent material for floristic arrangement. From flowering shoots of shrubs such as lilac, jasmine alone, you can make a wonderful composition or bouquet. Fruit branches are often used in autumn arrangements. Many ripe fruits and berries are very colorful and create the mood of the composition. Shrub shoots with large thorns or thorns, such as hawthorn branches, are very good in arrangements. Winding, intricately curved shoots are especially valued. Such branches with thorns in the compositions are surprisingly expressive. They are dynamic, their silhouette is very graphic. Shrub shoots are also used in their natural form, but without leaves they acquire new qualities.

Wax

Wax is an amazing floral material that allows you to arbitrarily vary the shape, color, it is very convenient to use. Plates of various sizes and colors are obtained by pouring molten wax onto a horizontal surface. After the material has hardened, pieces of the desired shape are cut out. For the manufacture of floral candles, wax plates are selected by color and size and strung on a wick. The advantage of wax as a floristic material is not only that it is plastic, it can be easily modeled when heated and retains its shape when cooled. Wax opens up great opportunities for us, being the basis for floristic filling. A wide variety of materials can serve as the latter: flowers, leaves, pieces of bark, pebbles. It depends on the intended use of the product. Wax is a material that opens up rich possibilities and scope for the imagination of the florist.

earth, gravel

Decorative gravel serves as a filler for transparent vessels. By selecting it in size and color, you can achieve various effects. The most ordinary earth can also be an excellent floristic material, for example, for making original planters. The technology is pretty simple. Inflated balloons are coated with a thick layer of earth mixed with some kind of adhesive fixing substance, at this stage the desired shape is given to the pots. After the base has dried and hardened, the ball is deflated, the resulting container is filled with earth and is ready for planting any plants. Cache-pots are quite durable, waterproof and transportable. "Earth" planters can be decorated in various ways, in this case, these are interspersed with gold paint, giving unusual flower vessels an even more exotic look.

Lichens

Lichens are one of the favorite materials of many florists. This is a widespread group of symbiotic organisms, usually growing on rocks or tree trunks and having a complex structure. Lichen thallus is very diverse in color, size, shape and structure. Lichens can have various colors: white, pink, bright yellow, orange, orange-red, gray, bluish-gray, grayish-green, yellowish-green, olive-brown, brown, black and some others. The variety of colors and unusual texture make these unusual organisms an excellent decorative material for arrangements. Very good, for example, compositions of dried silver-gray lichen on a deep blue background. The openwork texture, reminiscent of silver lace, looks rich and noble.

Vegetables

Vegetables are often used in floristry as an original material, mainly for autumn arrangements. Ripe vegetables symbolize harvest, wealth, fertility. They are good in combination with rough textures: burlap, wood, plant roots. Large vegetables such as zucchini can serve as an excellent vessel for composition. For this purpose, their core is partially or completely removed. One of the modern popular techniques is vegetable carving. With a sharp knife, a pattern or pattern is applied to the surface of vegetables (species with a hard skin are selected). Vegetables are an excellent material for transformation. They can be cut in any, the most bizarre way, and individual fragments can be glued, strung on a wire, combined with other materials.

Feathers

Feathers are most commonly used in Easter floristry. Their lightness and fluffy texture soften the arrangement, bringing notes of tenderness into it. For compositions, ostrich, peacock, swan, chicken feathers are usually taken. The feathers of wild birds, various in shape and color, are also very good. Feathers can be combined with almost any color. Contrasting with smooth leaves or petals, they expressively emphasize the beauty of plants and can serve as an excellent material for textured compositions. It should be remembered that feathers are not allowed in arrangements intended for the dining table. Such use of them does not meet the requirements of hygiene and is considered bad manners.

shells

Shells, being a marine attribute, themselves determine the theme of the composition. Looking at them, you involuntarily hear the sound of the surf, and it seems that the salt spray of a wave that has crashed on the shore is about to touch you. In combination with tropical plants, shells perfectly convey the exotic mood of hot latitudes. But the possibilities of their use in floristry are much wider. With their help, in the technique of material transformation, you can create new textures and shapes, fill transparent vessels, and make collages. Shells come in different shapes and colors. They go well with glass and metal.

seeds
Plant seeds are also used as floristic material. Diverse in color, shape, size and texture, they are very good for creating textures, gluing shapes, making collages and garlands. Most often, florists use seeds of sunflower, pumpkin, herbs, calendula, legumes, acacia, chestnut. Dry seeds combined with live material make up an unusual and interesting contrast, which is often used in arrangements. Like ripened fruits, they symbolize the harvest, wealth, fertility and are good in autumn compositions. The seeds look very original in opened beans, pods, boxes.

Photos taken from the Internet

Wax in floristry

Wax is very popular in modern floristry. From it you can make vessels for flower arrangements of almost any shape. Wax is also good for fixing floral material.

Wax is an amazing material that allows you to arbitrarily vary the shape, color, it is very convenient to use. Plates of various sizes and colors are obtained by pouring molten wax onto a horizontal surface. After the material has hardened, pieces of the desired shape are cut out.

For the manufacture of floral candles, wax plates are selected by color and size and strung on a wick. The advantage of wax as a floristic material is not only that it is plastic, it can be easily modeled when heated and retains its shape when cooled.

Wax opens up great opportunities for us, serving as the basis for floristic filling. A wide variety of materials can serve as the latter: flowers, leaves, pieces of bark, pebbles - this depends on the purpose of the manufactured product. It is only important to correctly observe the proportion between the filling and the poured wax. Materials are laid out on a horizontal surface and poured with molten wax having a temperature of 60-70 degrees. A mixture of paraffin and stearin (2:1) is often used.

The effect of the translucency of the resulting plate allows you to create amazing works, where flower petals, leaves, thin twigs, translucent through the thickness of the wax, take the most unexpected and bizarre shape. Wax is a cold material, it often serves as an imitation of ice. Against the background of its "winter" texture, floral themes are perceived sharper and deeper. The accentuated contrast between the two polar materials makes it possible to achieve no less stunning effects than with natural snow and ice.

Wax is often used in spring floristry, as it easily allows you to imitate snow with thawed patches, flowers breaking out from under the ice. This is a material that opens up rich possibilities and scope for the imagination of the florist.

Look how elegant it looks! Just delight! I'm running after the leaves. We have wonderful sunny weather, cycling is just a delight, especially when you combine business with pleasure!

See how simple it is. It is necessary to melt the wax, apply it with a brush to the surface and quickly attach the sheet, veined onto the wax. Press well and wait until the wax hardens. Remove the sheet with a sharp movement. Now you can start coloring. This surface treatment is, of course, suitable for rigid things that will not deform during use. Here is liquid leather for shoes, for example - a universal remedy, you can use it on a bend and not be afraid that it will crack when worn.

And here the author shows the processing of hard surfaces. The first three shots are a vase. And the bottom four are candle decor. I want to remind you that we already, but a little differently, laid out a drawing with a hot spoon. Here it is proposed to do it with an iron. I had a small travel iron, ancient, ancient, but then I did not yet know that the little thing was necessary. I don't even remember where he went. And we never used it for its intended purpose.

With a candle, it's a little different. First you need to attach a sheet, then hold a warm iron over it, and then, as if written, press, cool, sharply remove. Cover the print with oil paint and, without waiting for it to dry, wipe off with a napkin. Very interesting effect, imitation of an aged surface. I think that you can also treat a candle like a vase, then the iron will not come in handy. Try it, maybe you will find something new, your own. Creative success!

Photo from the site http://passionidicasa.it/

Wally Klett

Wedding of Colors & Dreams. ( Hochzeit der Farben & Traeume.)

Translation from German p.172-175

Page 172:

CLASSIC TECHNIQUES

These techniques have been used in wedding floristry for many years. Some old techniques, such as the English technique, the use of a tire or the use of moss, have now been given new life. The development in recent years of innovative, i.e. updated, techniques provides many new opportunities to make wedding work interesting and modern.

Technique for working with flowers on natural stems

In this technique, the bouquet is collected in the hands, while the stems are folded in a spiral or parallel and tied. Flowers can be reinforced (eg with wire).

Taping technique

This technique is for assembling a wedding bouquet or wedding decoration using wire. The flowers are cut and the ends of the stems are simply wired or “forked”, that is, two wires of the same length, and then wrapped with rubber tape or Floratape - teip tape. Thus, the ends of the stems are almost hermetically sealed, which allows you to keep the freshness of the plants used in the work for at least 24 hours. This technique is most suitable for short, round, compact bouquets.

Watt technique

Watting is most often used in flowing, long bouquets. Flowers in the hands are laid in the required shape and cut in the place of the intended bundle. Flowers are cut obliquely and placed in water. Then each stem is wrapped separately with a thin layer of cotton wool and placed on a wire (on one or with a fork or two, depending on the thickness of the stem), after which the end of the stem wrapped with cotton is dipped into water and hermetically sealed with rubber tape. It is best to soak the flowers in water for 24 hours beforehand to ensure the stability of the bouquet.

Bus Assembly Technique

This technique is used in wedding bouquets on their natural stems. In the place of the bend, pieces of wire are superimposed to the right and left of the stem, taped and then bent. This technique has been revived in today's contemporary bouquets.

English technique

Flowers, greens and all related elements are cut short (flowers - under the head), often reinforced with silver wire and taped with rubber or teip tape. The prepared parts, one by one, are collected on the leading wire, starting from the very bottom of the bouquet in a strictly teardrop shape.

Moss technique

A dense bundle is collected from moss (sphagnum or other moss that absorbs water well) using a wire, which is then used as a basis. Flowers, leaves, twigs, etc. are fixed on a wire and placed on a moistened moss base, from which they receive nutrition. In modern wedding bouquets, this technique is almost never used anymore.

NEW TECHNIQUES

For wedding decorations using floral and non-floristic elements, other techniques are also used:

waxing technique

The end of the flower stem is briefly immersed in hot colorless or vice versa in colored wax. Thus, the cut surface is “sealed”, which lengthens the life of the flower. This technique is best used for flowers such as callas, minicalls, orchids, etc. Waxed flowers are attached to the work with decorative wire. However, care must be taken that when immersing the stems, the wax is not too hot.

Page 173:

Soldering technique

Soldering is often used to create filigree forms - the bases (frames) for wedding work. A round, elongated or arcuate shape is assembled from galvanized wire with a diameter of 1.2 to 1.5 mm (see the book "Hochzeit der Creationen", p. 30). After soldering, the mold can be painted with a color spray, such as gold or silver. Taped or waxed flowers are collected on this form in a light, comfortable bouquet.

Loop technique

From decorative wire with a diameter of 0.5 mm and aluminum wire with a diameter of 2.0 mm, loops are folded by hand, which can be quickly and easily assembled into an ideal base shape, for example, in the form of a train-decoration for a wedding dress or in the form of a drop (see the book " Hochzeit der Creationen", p. 26). Such works can be performed both from wire and with the addition of floristic material.

Lamination technique

This technique is mostly used in ultra-modern and extravagant wedding works. Pieces of gold or silver foil are laminated (see the book "Hochzeit der Creationen", p. 14), any flat material is laminated in the same way: skeletonized leaves, leaves, fiber, etc. The laminated parts can be cut into any desired shape and inserted in wedding decoration.

Knitting technique

In this technique, along with floral elements and wire in paper, aluminum or varnished wire with a diameter of 2 mm is often used. From the material used, air and rigid loops are tied by hand (creating a certain shape). Most often, a basket is tied this way, which can be arbitrarily large or small.

Clothespin-clip technique – clip technique

The use of clip technology allows you to rationally perform the work. This technique is used when working with base molds made of aluminum or varnished wire. Using the clip technique, flowers are attached to a pre-made base. In this case, it is advisable to pre-wax the ends of the stems, for example, in orchids, in order to achieve 24-hour stability. You also need to be careful not to damage the flower stems when attaching.

carree -technique or technique of tying into squares

A wire is inserted into the hollow stems of plants such as equisetum, cereals, etc. The stems are folded into squares and, crossing, are connected to each other in pairs. So you get squares, the sizes of which can be made almost any.

Pin -technique

The beginning of this technique was laid in Scandinavia. Flowers with the help of pearl pins (often the heads of the pins were of very different colors) were attached to fruits or seedlings. This technique was also used in wedding bouquets. To ensure the stability of the flowers for 24 hours, it is recommended to pre-treat the ends of the stems with wax.

Crash -technique

Using this new technique, modern wedding decorations for hairstyles, boutonnieres, corsages, etc. can be quickly and rationally made without the need to make complex, time-consuming frames. Literally less than half an hour, right on your hands, you can make any shape from decorative wire - a frame for wedding jewelry. For this, a mixture of wire of two different diameters is used - for example, 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm. The ratio of the amount of wire of different thicknesses in this mixture depends on how strong the frame itself should be, that is, for what decoration it will be used. For example, for a traditional boutonniere for the groom, you can take the same amount of wire of different thicknesses, in a ratio of 50:50. And for a long hair decoration, when special strength is required, a ratio of 60:40 (60% wire with a diameter of 0.5 mm and 40% wire with a diameter of 0.3 mm) is more suitable.

A variety of forms of jewelry can be made using this technique, such as symmetrical or asymmetrical hair decoration, boutonnieres, tiaras, necklaces, shoulder jewelry, basket decoration for children and much, much more. Truly, this technique makes it possible to make an innumerable number of different options for jewelry.

Note: the choice of the shape of the wedding decoration and the material determines the choice of technique

CHECKLIST FOR THE COMPETENT CHOICE OF AN INDIVIDUAL WEDDING FLORAL OPTION

In what environment will the wedding take place, what will it be like? (classic, romantic, elegant, extravagant, sporty). Or maybe it's a youth and unusual wedding? Or, for example, will it be celebrated in the countryside? Will there be a wedding or just a marriage registration? What is the architectural style and interior of the church where the newlyweds will get married? Will there be a reception after the wedding? Where? Where will the wedding celebration take place? What will it be like: menu, service, etc.? 6. What are your favorite colors? Are the chosen colors the most advantageous for this married couple? Is it preferable to use any specific symbolism, such as the shape of a heart? What form of work is preferred - a sphere, a triangle, a square, or is it best to make the work amorphous? Should hobbies or special preferences of the bride and groom play some role in the nature of floristry? What type of bride is (see plates on page 175)? What will the wedding dress be like? To what extent are the color of the face, eyes and hair, the build of the bride taken into account when choosing the length and cut of the wedding dress? What type of wedding bouquet and what shape should be chosen? What flowers does this couple prefer? What is the best way to bring out and emphasize the best features of the bride? How to achieve the highest harmony and achieve the desired effect? How to combine the bride and groom through floristry so that it becomes obvious?

Through these and additional individual questions, a basic idea emerges, which often relies on color choices and preferred flowers.

Page 175

BY ANALOGY WITH THE CLASSIFICATION OF BRIDES BY TYPE, WE CLASSIFY THE MAIN TYPES OF WEDDINGS

For memory: types of brides

Young, girlish bride

sports bride

elegant bride

romantic bride

Classic bride

Extravagant bride

mature bride

But even in such a classification there is a certain number of gradations and differences. So it can be a youth romantic wedding and a youth elegant one (with a self-confident bride), just like a sporty elegant, rural elegant, youthful unusual or fantasy classic. But it is necessary to make sure that the floristry emphasizes these nuances. Every wedding is unique. And when choosing a floristic design, it is necessary to approach it this way and make it that way. After all, how different people are, so different, in the end, this event itself must be. Therefore, it is proposed, with the help of purposefully posed questions, to find out how the bride and groom imagine the wedding, how they see it in their dreams, in order to embody this as accurately as possible.

Photo captions (left to right, top to bottom):

Extravagant wedding

Elegant wedding

classic wedding

romantic wedding

sports wedding

Unusual wedding

Note. transl.: bridal bouquets and decorations for brides at weddings of the specified type are shown.