Artistic Flower Arrangements

Flowers are one of nature’s prettiest offerings. With hundreds of thousands of types of flowers out there, there is so much variety and choice available that it astounds the mind. There are flowers of every color and color combination, size, shape, density, texture, foliage etc. Every season brings different flowers to appreciate and love, be it the winter, spring, summer or autumn.

Today, flowers are used to provide color to empty spaces and bring life to inanimate areas, they are used to express feelings, to mark special occasions, i.e., birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, etc.,  and to bring joy to everyone.

The primary reason that flowers are so popular is that they are available to everyone. You don’t have to be rich to afford flowers. Even with the most easily and inexpensive flowers, you can make something beautiful. Everyone can work with flowers. You don’t have to be a professional florist to make those amazing flower arrangements you see in magazines and on TV.

So how do you learn how to make flower arrangements at home? There are two things involved – knowing the basic principles involved in arranging flowers, and using those principles to practice and experiment on your own till you are comfortable with what you’re doing.

The basic principles of flower arranging are to do with the form, line, shape, balance, texture, color, unity, proportion, harmony etc. By following the basics, your flower arrangement will be aesthetically pleasing and visually appealing.

One of the more important principles, one which ties together all the other basics of floral arrangement is Harmony.

Very simply put, harmony in a floral arranging is when all the elements used in the arrangement are in complete sync with each other and seem to belong together. When discussing harmony, you are not only talking about the flowers matching or belonging together, but also the flowers and foliage, the flowers and foliage with the container, the container with the space it has to share, the texture, shape, size, color etc. Basically a harmonious floral arrangement is striking to the eye without being over the top and without seeming very obviously contrived. It should look effortless to the viewer.

One way of achieving harmony in your arrangement is by trying to select those elements which have something (at least one thing) in common with each other, so that they fit together. This could be in size, color, texture and shape. If blended well together, then harmony has been achieved. For example, you should avoid choosing to put small flowers with oversized leaves as they don’t match. Similarly, if you put giant marigolds in a small vase, it will definitely look out of place.

For someone who is a beginner, harmony in a flower arrangement can easily and best be achieved through color. Color is very often the single most important element contributing to the harmony of your arrangement. By using monochromatic or analogous color combinations, a flower arrangement can look harmonious and visually striking. The simplest way of being sure that your color combinations are going to work is to check their positions on a color wheel. Adjacent colors generally belong together. For a contrast, opposite colors on a color wheel can be used.

Finally, harmony in a floral arrangement is achieved by of choosing the right elements and experimenting with different materials, colors, textures, shapes and styles.

Learn about Flower arranging – FREE lesson and newsletter

With Valentine’s Day approaching time has come to choose the gift that you will give to your lady. Flowers are undoubtedly among the most popular presents given by men on Valentine’s Day. On the other hand they tend to give only red roses as they usually think they are the only sort of flowers that match the meaning of Valentine’s Day. And yet there are so many different types of flowers; each of them allowing you to express your love.

In this article you will discover the different languages of the flowers, so that you are able to choose the one that best suits the stage of your relationship: you won’t be giving the same type of floral arrangement or flowers to the mother of your six children as those you gave when she was sixteen.

Timidity could prevent you to express your feelings to your sweet heart; avoid this problem by giving her a bunch of may; which stands for the hopes of a timid heart : “You’re the only lady of my thoughts. Would your answer meet my wishes…?”. Or you can get some help from multi-coloured pansies that will make her find out that your heart is devoted to her.

If it is the moment to express your affections to the lady of your life, you will be giving her a bunch of white carnations or white gardenia as they are tied to the notion of secret. Alternatively, azalea or blueberries are a great way to say “I dare to express my love” as well; while multi-coloured tulips are the serment of a honest love.

If you want to tell your soul mate how attractive she is, you will be giving her red camellia; on the other hand white camellias you will ensure her about the constancy of your feelings. There are several different ways to declare how you feel about someone and jasmine can help you in doing so: with yellow jasmine you will talk about passion, red jasmine will be madness and and white jasmine will be sweetness.

If the loveliest way to express the harmony, purity and innocence of your feelings is by giving a bunch of white Lilies; the best way to tell your sweet heart you will love her more and more each and every day of your life, is through orange-blossom or a bunch of daisies. There is a kind of flowers that always live and will prove to your soul mate the strength of your love: straw flowers. When you are in love with a passion, you will give your lady red, white/red or purple fuchsia or flamed iris. As for sensuality and seduction, orchids are their loveliest symbol.

The eternally famous rose has always symbolized love, but based on the color has many additional meanings. Needless to say that red rose means passion and devotion; pink rose is the oath that you have taken as well as elegance, joy, grace and admiration. While white rose is the virtue of your affections, lavender pink has the meaning of love at first sight. Orange roses will tell your sweetie that you find her sexy and adorable. Full-bloomed roses represent your engagement while blue roses convey tranquility and a quiet peace.

There are flowers that will tell your soul mate of your tenacity and the promise you will adore her till the end of time, no matter the pitfalls of life: yellow, blue or red anemones. Red or brown amaranth is a symbol of an eternal devotion as well.

Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated by teenagers as well. While those that are starting a new romance will send their soul mate primroses or a pot of crocus as they represent a puppy love; teenagers by that time in a long lasting romance will give a bouquet of blue iris.

Valentine’s day is not only reserved to those that celebrate love, it also allows us to celebrate your friends. White or purple lilac represent simplicity as well as frankness. On the other hand, you may want to give wisteria to your friends how much they are precious for you; after all, the the Desperate Housewives live in Wisteria Lane and are the best friends!

Due to their popularity, flowers are frequently given in addition to other gifts like a cuddly, adorable teddy bear, a box of Belgian chocolates or some delectable, hand-dipped, chocolate covered cherries. As you see, there is a plethora of affections that can be confessed through the language of the flowers. The most difficult task is to select the good one. Whatever you do do it with gusto and with the intent of making the lady of your life feel sensational and in turn it is sure that she will make you feel very special! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Prosperity66 is an European History and Tarot cards passionate. She also enjoys the Holiday Season as well as any other holiday of the year. If you need more information on the meaning of flowers feel free to visit Be My Valentine.

For a sensational non-Valentine gift read about cheap PlayStation 3. Who knows, maybe that might be a better present for special loving hearts.

Learn about Flower arranging – FREE lesson and newsletter

In my next few posts I’m presenting ten tips on flower arranging that I think will be helpful to anyone interested in the subject.  So with that said here is your first tip:

Flowers.

Beautiful.  Colorful.  Delightful.

They are the perfect décor to your home, the perfect touch to your wedding, and the perfect gift for that someone special.  Flowers, in both small and large arrangements, are a surefire way to light up someone’s life.

And you don’t have to spend a small fortune to do it.  With a little know-how, you can create your very own flower arrangements that are just as great, even better, than your flower shop.  It just takes a little knowledge, a good eye, and some creativity.

Go with Your Gut and Toss out the Rules

There are hundreds, even thousands, of books and articles about flower arranging.  Every one of them will give you rules—what you should and should not do, color combinations to avoid, types of flowers that just don’t match, and kinds of containers you should never use.

Don’t listen.

Flower arranging is all about your own creativity.  If you think something is going to look good, it probably will.  Just like all art forms, you have to go with your gut.  Do you love the colors pink and orange, but every rule says you should never mix pink and orange?

Forget it.

Go with your instinct and mix your favorite colors.  It surely will be aesthetically pleasing to you and definitely will be a display of absolute creativity.  You might not want to use your pink and orange arrangement for a wedding and maybe not everyone will like it, but your out-of-the-box thinking will give you complete enjoyment and personal satisfaction.  You will have created a unique and extremely beautiful arrangement for you to treasure.

Learn about Flower arranging – FREE lesson and newsletter