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ay of Flowers

Haripriya.S, Assistant Professor (Horticulture)ICAR- Krishi Vigyan Kendra,

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Vriddhachalam

“Flowers  are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into ” quotes

Henry Ward Beecher of 18th century. But mankind tried and is trying its best to

incorporate soul into the flowers by making the flower’s their companion in oneor the other way.  All the way through the history, people have used flowers to

express their feelings, enhance their surroundings and to commemorate

important rituals and observances. All forms of art depict the use of flowers:

music, books, paintings, sculpture, ceramics and tapestries are examples of some

of the sources of information regarding the use of flowers. Some of the most

affluent examples are the flower pictures produced by artists during the 17 th,

18th and 19th centuries, which so accurately depict flowers in their incrediblebeauty. 

In general, design concerns with selecting and arranging of objects and

deals with the form of their composition. A good floral design is the result of a

well thought-out plan, with two aims in mind  –  order and beauty. In order to

arrange flowers in such a manner it is necessary to become acquainted with all

the elements of good design. The elements of design are colour, light, space, line,

form, pattern, texture, and size. The principles of design are balance, dominance,

contrast, rhythm, proportion, and scale.

The European style arrangements were filled with large numbers of 

flowers rich in various colours, and are referred to as 'Mass Arrangements'. They

have a thick, full look and require a lot of plant material. The whole colourful

mass of flowers and foliages is emphasized, rather than the individual flowers,

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leaves, or branches. Mass arrangements may be of many shapes, such as circles,

domes, crescents, ovals, and triangles.

Ikebana or the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado is

known for its use of minimalism. Display may consist of only a minimal number

of blooms interwoven between the stalks and leaves. The basic structure of a

Japanese flower display is usually based on a “scalene triangle” which is a

triangle having sides of three different lengths. The sides are usually formed

with twigs, and the sides are considered to symbolize man, heaven, and earth or

to symbolize love, moon, sun and earth. No matter what type of plant is used to

create the floral arrangement, the container is usually the key element of the art

work, so there are multiple styles of pottery available.

The Oriental styles emphasized simplicity, containing few flowers and

conservative colours, and, as they emphasized lines instead of masses, are known

as 'Line Arrangements'. Line arrangements are adaptations of Japanese style of 

flower arrangement. The linear quality of a few branches, leaves, or flowers is

emphasized to produce a clean cut and sparse look. The spaces between the plant

materials are nearly as important as the materials themselves. Color is of lessconcern than line, shape, space, and expressiveness.

Nowadays, flower arrangements represent an amalgamation of these two

styles: the 'European’ and the 'Oriental' style  known as “Line-Mass

arrangements”. Line-mass arrangements combine the strong line of Japanese

styles with the massed effect of European designs. Line-mass arrangements have

a clean, uncluttered look, with definite line, a well-defined mass, and plenty of 

open spaces. The dominant line is combined with a mass of plant material at the

focal area; additional material is used to enhance and develop the linear shapes.

Contrast of texture, colour and line are important features.

References

1. Culbert, J.R., 1978. Flower Arranging, Cooperative Extension Service,University of Illinois.

2. Principles of Floral Arrangement, Baxter County Master Gardeners,

University of Arkansas.3. Honeywell , E.R., 1958. Principles of Flower Arrangement .CooperativeExtension Service, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana.