7 Flower Arrangement Tips: Taming the Exotic Flowers

Did you paint the walls but still can’t seem to find what’s just right to make your home look great? Do you want to spice up your living space with some fancy, pretty-smelling, colorful décor? Does this sound great, but you don’t know where to start? Not sure the difference between dandelions and daisies? Can’t remember the last time you even smelled a flower? Does the idea of flowers for decorations sound like too much maintenance? Well, don’t get too overwhelmed before we even begin. Let’s begin a virtual trip to the garden nursery, look at the different chrysanthemums, amaryllis, Peruvian lilies, and even take the time to stop to smell the roses along the way.

Be creative and careful

[one_half_first]If none of those names seem familiar, and some sound like ancient species of dinosaurs that have recently been discovered, you’re not quite on the right track- but stay with us. This is okay. Luckily, unless you are unable to see, you’ll still have a fantastic ability to pick the right flowers by their visual appeal alone. When making flower arrangements, you’re going to need a little bit of planning, creativity, and courage. Careful planning always goes an extremely long way with regards to anything and flower arrangements are no exception.[/one_half_first][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

Choose what kind of flower you want

Before you can begin choosing flowers, you need to decide what kind of flower arrangement you are building. “Well, that’s great,” you think “but I didn’t know there were different types.” Flower arrangements are categorized by their style, looks, patterns, and geometry. There are three major categories. Those are:

• Traditional
• Oriental
• And finally, Modern

In the Western world, the most popular type of flower arrangements are the Traditional Arrangement. “The emphasis is on the use of many flowers as a mass in the floral arrangement” When imagining the traditional arrangement, try to imagine your standard bouquet of flowers. Sometimes it can be a mix of flowers, or sometimes it can be as simple as one type and color throughout. These make great and easy gifts, especially if you know someone’s favorite. These make great gifts for graduations, birthdays, lovers, and other celebratory events. Truth be told, traditional arrangements are quite plain, overdone, and often boring – not requiring much thought or effort from the designer. While easy to assemble, they are simple and not overly spectacular nor stunning. They aren’t showstoppers and if you’re looking for something exciting and breath-taking to bring your interior space to life then you’ll be crossing traditional flower arrangements off the list.

Oriental flower arrangements

“The emphasis is on the Lines in floral arrangement.” Geometry comes into play here, but don’t start breaking out your protractor and ruler just yet. The wonderful thing about flower arrangements is their only requirement is to look good. They are an art, not a science. “The most popular kinds of flowers used in oriental arrangements are flowers such as

• Lilies
• Orchids
• Snapdragons
• Peonies
• and Irises

Using a “diverse set of flower types” you can create intricate patterns, both with delicate or sharp curves and bends. Feel free to be creative here; you can “[create] a balance of white or cream coloured flowers and bright pinks, purples and / or yellows”. Additionally, “sheet moss [and river rocks] creates a lovely balance”, adding overall to the piece. When it comes to flower arrangements, the entirety of the arrangement including the device used to hold the flowers inside is part of the design and this remains especially true for oriental flower arrangements. If you want to create a sophisticated, eye-catching arrangement, consider designing an oriental flower arrangement and placing it anywhere, from on the nightstand, to a larger arrangement on the kitchen table.  The wonderful thing about flower arrangements is their only requirement is to look good. They are an art, not a science.

Modern style

In modern style geometry and style come to play. The crazier you want to get with the design, the better. For this flower arrangement, the device you decide to hold the flowers in is your blank canvas and everything you put inside is your paint. You’re allowed to have a little fun. In fact, you’re encouraged to have as much fun as you can. This is gloves off, no rules, nobody-is-pulling-no-punches flower arrangement. But, with no rules, one might ask themselves “Where do I begin?”

Floral Wreaths

First, you need a device in which you are going to style the flower arrangement. Floral Wreaths are “an arrangement in the form of a circular garland, usually woven of flowers and foliage.” While traditional floral wreaths are pleasant, unless it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas season, this probably isn’t what you’re looking for. Wreaths are very welcoming and homey, but they lack risk, flare, and pizzazz. When designing an exotic flower arrangement, wreaths simply just aren’t on the list. Wreaths are very welcoming and homey, but they lack risk, flare, and pizzazz. When designing an exotic flower arrangement, wreaths simply just aren’t on the list. “Floral baskets are flower arrangements done in baskets of varied depths.”  These, also are traditionally used as presents and gifts. They are great for birthdays, celebrations, lovers and friends. However, take into consideration that flower baskets are greatly limited by the depth of the basket. These too, are probably best given as gifts and not going to be our choice when designing an exotic flower arrangement to spruce up our home and bring it to life. Centerpieces are “designed to be placed on tables” and as the name denotes, usually in the center. These are usually made of glass, ceramic, or metallic material, and their shape takes a key role in the overall look and style of the design. It may sound awfully counterintuitive but a centerpiece can look in great in other places. There’s no need for them to go in the center.  We’re playing with no rules, remember? They don’t have to go there. You can put it on the left-hand side, or the right. No one is going to call the flower police on you. It’s safe and everything is going to be okay. For exotic flower arrangements, we’re going to go with this choice. Using creativity, patterns, spacing & geometry, shades and hues, shapes and sizes, and the list goes on and on, you can create your own living masterpiece.

What style tips should be kept in mind as you begin to craft your floral magnum opus?

• For large flowers, you can “celebrate big billowing flowers with an exuberant large-scale arrangement”. When designing with large flowers in the mix go big or go home when it comes to your vase.
• Don’t be scared to attract attention. That’s the entire point of designing the flower arrangement in the first place. To be the center of attention. We’re designing a centerpiece, remember? Large metal jars, or glass vases with intricate patterns, or other styles of containers can be used, and then after filled with soil and the flowers of your choice can be decorated nicely with different matter such as river rocks or decorative sheet moss.
• Allow the stems to take the shape of the container. “Flower stems naturally follow the shape of vase: They reach up and out, and the result is delicate and light.” You can’t spell flowers without flow and just like water, flowers loosely and beautifully flow to fit the shape of the container they are in.
• Use a combination of flowers with soft, long, bouncy stems and others with strong hard and sturdy stems to diversify your arrangement and further add uniqueness and style to your design.
• Use color to show depth and complexity by using contrasting or complimentary colors. “Create a study in color with different flowers in shades of the same hue” to create a subtle yet profound impact on the complexity and level of stylishness demonstrated by your floral piece. Again, there are no rules here. Allow your eyes to guide you to make the correct decisions when it comes to colors and hues.
• Use color to show depth and complexity by using contrasting or complimentary colors… to create a subtle yet profound impact on the complexity and level of stylishness demonstrated by your floral piece

Exotic flower arrangements

Exotic flower arrangements are a fantastic way to change up the interior of your living space. The entire design experience is fun. You can create multiple arrangements, each one unique for every room you please. Floral arrangements are a dynamic piece of living home décor that can brighten up any living space and with the vast selection of different flowers to choose from in every shade, hue, color and saturation that the human eye can see; you’ll never run out of choices. They are not only easy on the eyes, but flowers are incredibly aromatic and will naturally release scents that will make your home smell terrific all the time.

Conclusions:

With a little preparation, maintenance, and care, you can add a wonderful exotic floral arrangement to any part of your home and ditch the traditional “glass vase of roses on roasted turkey day” for something more fun, lively, and interesting. Live life a little on the edge. Take risks. Have fun, and make your home look fantastic while you do it. Besides, it’s where you live. Your home is an extension of you. You owe it to yourself to make it look great, wouldn’t you agree? There’s no need to get your gardening gloves and garden shears on, but you can start looking online, or in store at your closest nursery to find ideas for your design for your abstract exotic flower arrangement today. There are many exotic flower enthusiasts as there are Harry Potter fans. Why? Some things are easier seen than said; exotic flowers possess a distinct beauty and appeal that is not present in the usual flowers. Exotic flowers have brighter and bolder colors and peculiar shapes than the common wildflowers; these traits make them perfect for eye-catching flower arrangements.

Check what is Available

Since they are rare and a lot more difficult to produce under controlled conditions than traditional flowers, exotic flowers usually cost more. To make things worse, the availability of exotic flowers is very unpredictable. Given this situation, it is best to survey the availability of the exotic flowers in your local flower store a day before doing the flower arrangement.

Plan on the arrangement

Take note of what is available, with this data think of the arrangement. Consider the flowers as pieces of the puzzle and when you capture a mental picture of the floral arrangement in your mind sketch it on paper. This will serve as your initial design for the floral exotic arrangement.

Polish the mental design

Now that you have an initial design, you should now consider other factors such as the event or occasion, the final color scheme and other specifications for finalization. Think on how the arrangement will fit the occasion. With your initial design as reference, create the final design by eliminating what doesn’t fit with the requirements and adding things that will promote emphasis and harmony. Once you have conceptualized the final design, create the final list of things to buy. The list should contain the flowers, the containers, and other accessories for the arrangement.

Putting the pieces together in flower arrangement

Buy everything on the list you have made, it is advisable to pick up the non-perishable items first like the accessories and the containers. Exotic and Wild Flowers wilt easily especially when exposed to heat and air so it is best to soak their stems in water once you get home, this will help prolong their freshness. Some flowers however require refrigeration, the conditions for each flower is different so it is best to ask the florist for tips. Before putting the design together make sure that your workplace is clean and you are properly equipped with shears, towels and spray bottle. Be certain that you have everything you need in the table for quick access because you need to operate quickly to prevent the flowers from wilting. Carefully set the flower arrangement, you can stick the flowers to hydro foams for additional longevity. Carry out the design that you have made earlier and improvise if you want, make it as special as you can. After you finished doing the arrangement, be sure to keep it from direct sunlight and store it in a cool and safe location.

References:

1. The flower expert. 2. Oriental flower arrangement.