Floral Certification Vocabulary Review

A comprehensive review of important vocabulary terms related to floral design and certification.

DRY PACK

The storage or shipment of flowers out of water.

PROCESSING

Cutting flower stems properly and providing proper treatment at any stage of the distribution process.

Mechanics

Supplies, methods, and materials that designers use to place and hold flowers.

RETAIL FLORIST

A florist who sells floral goods and services directly to the consumer.

VASE LIFE

The length of useful life of cut floral materials after being received by the customer.

BUNDLING

Firmly wrapping or tying similar materials together to form a larger individual unit.

LIGHT INTENSITY

The level of light received on a plant surface.

FRAMING

A design technique in which branches of flowers are used around the perimeter of a floral arrangement to direct attention to the materials in the center of the arrangement.

PILLOWING

The tight positioning of flower clusters at the base of an arrangement forming rounded hills.

TERRACING AND LAYERING

Design techniques used to place similar materials horizontally on top of each other.

IKEBANA

The Japanese style of floral arrangements characterized by their linear forms.

CORSAGES

Worn floral arrangements typically created for special occasions.

BENT NECK IN FLOWERS

Occurs due to the inability of water to enter the stem.

PAVE ARRANGEMENTS

Flower arrangements characterized by a uniform area with little or no variation in depth.

ABSTRACT DESIGNS

Floral designs that contain more than one single focal point.

VEGETATIVE DESIGN

A naturalistic design style in which flowers and plant materials are placed as they would grow in nature.

WATERFALL DESIGN

A floral design utilizing shorter stems of mass flowers that provide a color and focal point near the rim of the container.

CUSTOMER EDUCATION

The process by which florists educate customers to help them enjoy their flowers to the fullest extent.

FLORAL PRESERVATIVE

A mixture of ingredients added to water to extend the vase life of cut flowers.

HYDRATING SOLUTION

A citric acid solution that helps flowers take up water rapidly to prevent dehydration.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

The process of converting nutrients, water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight into food for plants.

RESPIRATION

The cell process in which stored food reserves are converted into useful energy for the plant.

TRANSIRATION

The process of plants losing water through stomata in their leaves.

INTERPRETIVE DESIGN

Floral design using both natural and man-made materials in an unnatural manner to create new images.

FORMAL-LINEAR DESIGN

An asymmetrically balanced design of few materials usually placed in groups that emphasize forms and lines.

PARALLEL DESIGN

A design consisting of clusters or groups of flowers and foliage that strengthens the element of line.

LINE FLOWERS

Used as primary flowers to establish the skeleton or outline height or width of an arrangement.

FORM FLOWERS

Used to create focus with unusual and distinctive shapes.

FILLER FLOWER

A type of flower used to complete a design.

MASS FLOWERS

Flowers that are usually single stem with large rounded heads used to fill in arrangements.

SKELETON FLOWERS

Primary or line flowers used in a design to establish the outline of the arrangement.

CASCADE DESIGN

A design consisting of several layers of materials, varying in size and texture to create a flowering effect.

FOCAL POINT

The location within a design that attracts the most attention; the center of interest.

PRIMARY COLORS

Red, yellow, and blue; the base colors that cannot be created by mixing other colors.

SECONDARY COLORS

Colors created by combining two primary colors in equal amounts.

INTERMEDIATE COLORS

Colors formed by mixing equal amounts of a primary color and an adjacent secondary color.

SCALE

The relationship between the completed arrangement and its location.

PROPORTION

The relationship between the flowers, foliage, and container.

BALANCE

The impression of the design being stable and self-supported.

CONDITIONING

The process in which cut flowers and foliage have been treated to extend their freshness.

ASYMMETRICAL DESIGN

A triangular pattern with a strong 'L-Line' that is not symmetric.

SYMMETRICAL DESIGN

A formal equilateral triangular design.

ROUND DESIGNS

Floral designs which do not require a focal point.

PIERCING METHOD

Corsage wiring technique in which a wire is inserted through the calyx and bent downward.

HOOK METHOD

Wiring technique where a small hook is formed in the wire before it is pulled back into the flower.

HAIRPIN METHOD

Corsage wiring technique in which the wire is shaped into a hairpin.

WEDDING FLOWERS

Include brides' bouquets, bridesmaids’ bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres among others.

FOLIAGES

Used to hide mechanics in a flower arrangement.

LINE ELEMENT

The visual path the eye follows as it proceeds through a floral arrangement.

FORM

The geometric shape or line design that outlines the flower arrangement.

COLOR

Made up of twelve major colors used in floral design.

BACTERIAL GROWTH

Prevented by removing foliage from the stem that is below the water level in an arrangement.

WIRE

Different gauges of wire used for floral work; finer wires like #28 are best for lighter flowers.

INTENSITY

The brightness or darkness of a hue.

VALUE

Describes the lightness or darkness of a hue.

TONE

The measure of color intensity when gray is added to a hue.

TINT

Adding white to a color lightens its tint.

SHADE

A hue darkened by the addition of black.

RE-CUTTING STEMS

Helps prevent stem blockage and maximize the freshness of the product.

REFRIGERATION OF FRESH PRODUCT

Helps slow down respiration and reduce water loss by maintaining a low temperature and high humidity.

Weeping Fig

Ficus Benjamina is the scientific name.