Professional florists select and arrange flowers for decorative purposes. Here in Delaware, where I live, floristry is a thriving industry, with many businesses offering local deliveries to cities like Camden, Camden Wyoming, Dover, Felton, Frederica, Harrington, Magnolia and Smyrna. Not bad for such a small state! Most people require a florist's services at one point or another, because people enjoy receiving nicely arranged flowers as presents, particularly on important milestones. However, besides understanding what are the appropriate flowers for an event or occasion - whether happy or sad, there is more to consider.
Similar to a chef and a butcher, a trained and experienced florist will maintain the sharpness of his or her cutting equipment, so that it makes even, clean cuts rapidly and effectively. The best tools for cutting ribbons, wire, silk flowers and fresh flower stems are multi-purpose scissors. Most florists like to use different cutting equipment for each arrangement. For instance, they might use wire cutters to cut wire and silk flowers, and pruning shears to cut live plants. Bouquet inserts and floral foam (see below) can be cut using floral knives. Paper is usually cut using separate scissors, so that the scissors remain sharp and clean.
Floral foam is a key part of the florist's toolkit. This green colored foam block is ideal for fresh flowers, because it absorbs water. The flowers in your arrangement will last much longer, if you use wet foam. This foam can be cut easily, and it fits into any sized container. Floral foam can be used with artificial flowers too. In this case, you can leave it the way it is, rather than soaking it in water. Bouquet holders are essential for producing wedding bouquets. These are round, plastic containers with handles. They come in numerous sizes, either with or without pre shaped foam. Both round bouquets and cascade bouquets can be made with these.
Florists depend on a range of adhesives, when they are arranging small decorations in bouquets and baskets, and when they are putting gift baskets together. For small designs, the majority of florists use glue guns. When preparing fragile silk flowers, or when using glitter, spray glue is most suitable. Tube glue or spray adhesives can be used to stick moss to floral foam. Stems can be wrapped together discreetly with green floral tape. This tape is stretchable and often used to produce boutonnieres and corsages. Brown floral tape is used to wrap arrangements of dry flowers. This tape also comes in light green and white, for various applications.
By wrapping floral foam with floral netting, florists can make stems hold firmer in bouquets. This netting is easy to cut and bendable. Rather than discarding incorrectly cut flower stems, florists can extend them with floral wire. This avoids wasting any beautiful flowers. This wire is bendable and easy to turn and twist. It comes in several different diameters too. Copper wire is useful for florists who need to make structures in their arrangements. For instance, with rattan structures, copper wire can be used to hold the rattan together. The good thing about copper wire is that the color remains, irrespective of how much you manipulate it. Pearl strands can be made with copper wire as well, which always look nice in flower arrangements.
When using low or shallow containers, florists usually try to make the highest stem roughly one or two times the diameter or length of the vase or bowl. Water picks or tubes are useful for hydrating flowers, if their stems aren't long enough to touch the water level or foam in a vase. Water tubes have rubberized caps, which secure stems and prevent any water leakages from the tube. Also, these tubes allow florists to place flowering stems in potted plant soil, making it appear as if the flowers are blossoming alongside the other shrubs.
Similar to a chef and a butcher, a trained and experienced florist will maintain the sharpness of his or her cutting equipment, so that it makes even, clean cuts rapidly and effectively. The best tools for cutting ribbons, wire, silk flowers and fresh flower stems are multi-purpose scissors. Most florists like to use different cutting equipment for each arrangement. For instance, they might use wire cutters to cut wire and silk flowers, and pruning shears to cut live plants. Bouquet inserts and floral foam (see below) can be cut using floral knives. Paper is usually cut using separate scissors, so that the scissors remain sharp and clean.
Floral foam is a key part of the florist's toolkit. This green colored foam block is ideal for fresh flowers, because it absorbs water. The flowers in your arrangement will last much longer, if you use wet foam. This foam can be cut easily, and it fits into any sized container. Floral foam can be used with artificial flowers too. In this case, you can leave it the way it is, rather than soaking it in water. Bouquet holders are essential for producing wedding bouquets. These are round, plastic containers with handles. They come in numerous sizes, either with or without pre shaped foam. Both round bouquets and cascade bouquets can be made with these.
Florists depend on a range of adhesives, when they are arranging small decorations in bouquets and baskets, and when they are putting gift baskets together. For small designs, the majority of florists use glue guns. When preparing fragile silk flowers, or when using glitter, spray glue is most suitable. Tube glue or spray adhesives can be used to stick moss to floral foam. Stems can be wrapped together discreetly with green floral tape. This tape is stretchable and often used to produce boutonnieres and corsages. Brown floral tape is used to wrap arrangements of dry flowers. This tape also comes in light green and white, for various applications.
By wrapping floral foam with floral netting, florists can make stems hold firmer in bouquets. This netting is easy to cut and bendable. Rather than discarding incorrectly cut flower stems, florists can extend them with floral wire. This avoids wasting any beautiful flowers. This wire is bendable and easy to turn and twist. It comes in several different diameters too. Copper wire is useful for florists who need to make structures in their arrangements. For instance, with rattan structures, copper wire can be used to hold the rattan together. The good thing about copper wire is that the color remains, irrespective of how much you manipulate it. Pearl strands can be made with copper wire as well, which always look nice in flower arrangements.
When using low or shallow containers, florists usually try to make the highest stem roughly one or two times the diameter or length of the vase or bowl. Water picks or tubes are useful for hydrating flowers, if their stems aren't long enough to touch the water level or foam in a vase. Water tubes have rubberized caps, which secure stems and prevent any water leakages from the tube. Also, these tubes allow florists to place flowering stems in potted plant soil, making it appear as if the flowers are blossoming alongside the other shrubs.