About Floral Designers

If you enjoy flowers, gardening and beauty, becoming a floral designer can be a good career choice. What could be more rewarding than using your artistic flair and your love of flowers to create bouquets for life's most joyous and meaningful moments? Just remember, floral design is not always a rose garden.

Function

As a floral designer, you'll do a lot more than play with pretty blossoms. You'll be called on to create everything from wedding bouquets to funeral sprays, from Christmas centerpieces to get-well arrangements. You'll need to stay informed about different floral design trends; unpack stock and store supplies; condition, water and protect flowers; cut, trim and arrange flowers; design arrangements to the tastes of customers; deal with opinionated, and sometimes irritable, customers; be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines; be available on weekends and holidays; help with clean-up; and stay within budgets.

History

Two important influences shaped floral design in America. One was the Japanese Ikeban (literally, "flowers kept alive") style of arranging which emphasized line and control, simplicity and understatement. The other was the European mass design with its abundance of flowers, heavy or tall containers and bright high-contrast colors. The arrangements became as elaborate and formal as the tapestries on the walls.
American floral design combined the two styles. Sometimes called the American line-mass style, the lines are not stark and strict like the Japanese, but the arrangements do have distinct shapes. The European influence is found in the massed floral elements which add weight and depth.

Types

Contemporary floral arrangements often reflect one of the following shapes: horizontal (suitable for low centerpieces); vertical (for tall arrangements and those which stand alone); triangular (slight oriental influence); crescent (exotic with a high curve on one side and a low curve on the other); oval (the traditional bouquet shape); square (particularly good with live plants and commercial settings); and freestyle (a riot of color and an undefined shape).

Potential

In 2007, average earnings for floral designers were $11.25 an hour ($29,370 annually), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job opportunities range from those in a retail outlet like the groceries, to high end, trendy florists that combine the floral part of the business with gifts and decorator accents. The Bureau estimates that there will be fewer jobs in the floral industry by 2016, but that there will always be a great deal of turnover due to dissatisfaction with the low pay. As a flower shop owner, especially when adding gift and accent sales, potential earnings can increase greatly.

Features

Pleasing arrangements will have many of these characteristics:
1. Radiation. Begin with a single stem in the center and work outward. The illusion created is that all the stems originate from one single point.
2. Repetition. Use one certain flower predominantly and repeat at least eight times in a medium to large arrangement. Overall, incorporate at least three different, repeated types of flowers.
3. Balance. Use dark, heavy flowers at the base of the arrangement, with smaller lighter tone flowers as you go upward. Balance the design symmetrically, with equal numbers of elements on each side, or asymmetrically with unequal numbers.
4. Depth. Once you have created the height and width, place several flowers extending over the side of the container. Fill in "holes" or empty spots, using flowers at different levels
5. Point of interest. Locate this focal point at the base in the center of the design. Place the biggest flowers in the darkest colors and the greatest concentration at that point. An interesting accessory, an exotic flower or a striking color accent can also be the focal point.
6. Transition. Add filler flowers or materials to make a transition between bigger and smaller blooms, or darker and lighter ones.
7. Harmony. Choose flowers and materials that have the same feel or mood. For instance, you would never combine pine cones and lilies, although pine cones and evergreen boughs are in harmony, as are lilies and baby's breath.

Significance

Flowers' endless variety, breathtaking color and stunning beauty have inspired masterpieces in every art form. Flowers are the subject of countless paintings, sculptures, songs and poems.Throughout history, people have chosen flowers to express their emotions, decorate their environments, and memorialize important events and occasions.

Resources

• "Floral Design" magazine