LINE FLOWERS:
are tall, and as the name implies, give your bouquet height, width, and a
balanced look. Branches and tall foliage can serve as line flowers. Most
line flowers have buds growing up a center stalk. Examples of line flowers
are: gladiolas, liatris, snapdragons, delphinium, tuberose, veronica, curly
willow, bells-of-ireland, stock.
TIP: Line
flowers, by themselves, look striking when placed in a tall cylindrical
vase.
MASS FLOWERS
will give your bouquet weight - or mass - and are generally round and full
faced. Sometimes they are referred to as "face" flowers. They are usually
the focal point of color and interest in a bouquet. Most mass flowers come
with only one flower on the end of the stem. Examples of mass flowers are:
rose, carnation, gerbera, sunflower, lily, daffodil, tulip, iris, freesia,
zinnia, alstroemeria, protea, chrysanthemum.
TIP: Mass
flowers are a good choice for a simple, quick vase full of flowers and are
often sold in bunches.
FILLER
FLOWERS (stems with a lot of little flowers) and foliage will round out your
bouquet and give it a soft, full look. Casual, fresh from the garden
bouquets use an abundance of filler flowers to visually connect mass and
line flowers.
TIP: Just a few
sprigs of filler flowers, alone in a vase, can give a sense of simple
elegance to any room, and many filler flowers are good candidates for
drying.
LOOSE
FLOWERS IN A VASE:
Fill your
clean vase with water containing floral food.
Strip stems
so that no leaves will be covered by water.
Cut stems to
about twice the height of your vase, leaving several stems an inch or two
longer for the center of your bouquet.
First insert
stems of foliage and filler flowers. Criss-cross the stems as you insert
them in your vase. This will create a grid that will help hold the other
flowers in place.
Starting at
the rim of your vase and working toward the center, add other flowers,
spacing them as if they were points on a triangle.
Place the
longest stems in the center of your bouquet.
Stand back
and review your bouquet, making adjustments if needed.
TIP: Start with
marbles or small pebbles in your vase for extra stem support, or simply to
give a favorite vase a new look.
THE
BUD VASE:
This simple
design can bring the scent and beauty of flowers into every room of your
home. Plus, it's an economical way to try out new and different flowers!
Select a
narrow necked vase and fill with water.
Cut flower
stem to about twice the height of your vase. Strip stem so that no leaves
will be covered by water. Place flower in vase.
To give added
support and beauty, add a stem or two of lnear foliage or a curly twig.
Last, to give
your bud vase an elegant, balanced look, insert a few leaves at the rim of
the vase.
TIP: Be
imaginative with bud vases! Beautiful perfume bottles, recycled spice jars,
or antique apothecary bottles can all hold a stem or two of flowers.
TIP: Bud vases
can make inexpensive, personalized gifts. Select a favorite flower and place
it in a "collectable" vase. Or to dress up a plain vase, simply wrap a
pretty ribbon around the neck.
We'd like to
thank our friends at the California Cut Flower
Commission for this information
View
Shopping Cart
