Floral Design Final Exam

Line Flowers

They establish the outline, shape, and movement of an arrangement.

Characteristics:

Tall, slender blooms

Create height, width, and a sense of direction

Remember: Line flowers are placed first to create the framework!

Common Line Flowers

Gladiolus

Snapdragons

Liatris

Delphinium

Curly willow or branches (line material)

Mass Flowers

Mass flowers add fullness, focal points, and weight.

Characteristics:

Round, large, and showy

Draw the eye toward key areas of the arrangement

Remember: Mass flowers create visual balance and support the focal point.

Common Mass Flowers

Roses

Carnations

Gerbera daisies

Sunflowers

Chrysanthemums

Form Flowers

Purpose: add distinctive shapes that create interest and emphasize the focal area.

Characteristics:

Unique or exotic shapes

Stand out from round or linear flowers

Remember: Use sparingly; they provide drama and emphasis

Common Form Flowers

Orchids

Birds of Paradise

Calla lillies

Protea

Anthurium

Filler Flowers

Purpose: add texture, background, and spacing between larger blooms

Characteristics:

Small, delicate clusters

Soften transitions

Remember: Filler Flowers are used to complete and soften the arrangement.

Common Filler Flowers

Baby's Breath

Static

Waxflower

Solidago

Aster

Foliage and Greenery

Purpose: Greenery provides structure, depth, background, and color contrast.

Roles in Design:

Cover mechanics (foam, tape, stems)

Create shape and flow

Enhance texture

Remember: Greenery is essential for a polished, professional finish.

Common Types of Foliage and Greenery

Leather leaf fern

Eucalyptus

Salal (lemon leaf)

Rescus

Aspidistra leaves

Floral Design Tools

Essential tools for safe, efficient arranging

Remember: Using the correct tools ensures clean cuts, safer work, and longer-lasting flowers.

Cutting Tools

Floral Clippers- used to trim stems of flowers and foliage.

Pruners

Floral knives- used to cut foam, flowers, and foliage, always cut away from yourself

Floral Tape:

(green and clear) paper coated in paraffin wax, sticks to itself, used to wrap floral stems and wire.

Wire

used in some containers and wreaths, bullion is used in corsages or boutenniere. Decorative ones are used in vases.

Floral glue

used to glue small flowers or accessories in corsages or silk designs

Hot glue gun

used to attach materials using hot glue.

Measurement Tools

Floral Foam knife

Rulers

Stem strippers

Holding/Fixing Tools

Floral Foam

Pin frogs (kenzans)- provides support for flowers instead of floral foam and are used for designs with few flowers and line designs.

Flower food packets

Water tubes (picks)

Floral Foam

3 foams; Wet foams (Oasis) provide stability and holds water and is used for fresh cut flower arrangements, dry foam provides stability for silk arrangements, and Styrofoam are used in some containers and wreaths

Water tubes (picks)

holds water and is used for single flowers that may be out of water.

Mechanics

The hidden structures that hold the arrangement together.

Remember: Good mechanics ensures strength, stability, and long life for all arrangements

Floral Foam

Holds stems firmly, provides water; must be soaked properly.

Tape grid

Clear tape grid over vase openings to stabilize stems

Chicken wire

Reusable net inside vases to support flowers

Greening

Using foliage to hide Mechanics

Wiring and taping

Used in boutonnieres, corsages, and delicate flowers

Floral picks

Add length/ support to weak stems

Filler Flowers

Small blooms used to fill in gaps; add texture & contrast and create more balanced design

Foliage

Leaves of plants or trees; adding decorative filler elements

Form Flowers

Used to create structure and focal points using distinctive shapes and structures

Greenery

The decorative foliage used in arrangements

Line Flowers

Used as primary flowers to establish the skeleton of an arrangement: tall & structured blooms; dense clusters of small flowers

Mass Flowers

Usually have a single stem with large rounded heads used inside or along lines established by line flowers in an arrangement

Potted plants

Plants grown in pots or containers rather than directly in the ground

Genus

Generic name which identifies the overarching category below family; makes up the first part of the scientific name that is always capitalized

Mutation

Describes how the exact plant was created (change in genetic makeup)

Scientific name

Formal naming structure of living things through the Latin genus & specific epithet

Specific Epithet

Specific name, which distinguish species within the genus