Arranging Permanent Flowers

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Arranging Permanent Flowers
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Variety

• quality and variety of permanent flowers is
  continually improving
• requested frequently by customers

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Permanent Flowers

• silk
• paper
• dried and or preserved

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Design principles

• that guide fresh flower arrangement also apply to
  permanent flowers
• mechanics involved in arranging permanents are
  different

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Permanent flowers

• easier to arrange
• are not perishable
• may be manipulated and mechanically secured
  without concern for wilting

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Silk

• applies to a wide variety of fabric flowers which
  are sold to florists
• silk, nylon, cotton, rayon and blends are
  commonly used

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Silk

• great variability in the grades of fabric used
• resulting in a variety of quality and prices
  levels

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Silk

• available in two basic types
• molded, plastic stemmed
• hand-wrapped

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Molded

• usually made of polyester
• heat molded in a die form to create the petals
• placed on a stem made of wire covered with plastic

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Molded

• usually less expensive than hand-wrapped silks

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Hand-wrapped

• usually produced with multiple flowers on a
  single stem
• bushes and bouquets are frequently made with this
  type of silk flowers

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Hand-wrapped

• petals are usually cut with a stamp
• then attached to wire and positioned to create
  the flower

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Hand-wrapped

• then secured to a wire stem which is hand wrapped
  with floral tape
• flowers may be hand painted or dyed

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Hand-wrapped

• process makes the flowers look real
• more expensive because of the labor required
• usually sold individually

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Paper

• created from rice paper, parchment, and bark
  fiber paper
• formed in the flower shape and most are available
  with wired petals and leaves

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Paper

• flowers and leaves are attached to a main stem
• wrapped with paper or floral tape

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Paper

• may be pre-dyed before being formed into flowers
  or air brushed after the flower has been formed

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Paper

• more expensive that molded, plastic-stemmed
  flowers because of the amount of labor required
  to produce them.

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Dried and Preserved

• in great demand for arrangements in the home
• frequently used for wall hangings and for
  decorating wreaths

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Dried and Preserved

• can also be combined with silk to create
  attractive arrangements

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Freeze Drying

• have all the moisture mechanically removed from
  their cells
• flowers retain some suppleness to their texture

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Freeze Drying

• equipment is expensive
• cost is higher than flowers dried by other methods

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Mechanics

• similar to those for fresh flowers
• precautions against wilting are not necessary

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Mechanics

• dry foam made especially for dried materials is
  used to support the stems
• two types of foam available

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Mechanics

• one for delicate materials
• other for larger, sturdy stems
• styrofoam may also be used

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Mechanics

• delicate stemmed flowers are placed on a wooden
  or steel pick before being inserted into
  styrofoam

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Mechanics

• dry foam is easily wedged into containers without
  additional support
• may also be attached with hot glue

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Mechanics

• foam is hidden by covering it with sheet moss or
  Spanish moss
• prevents foam from being visible in the
  arrangement

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Mechanics

• moss is held in place with pins, similar to
  hairpins
• flowers may be glued in place, prevents flowers
  from turning or slipping out of the foam

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Mechanics

• dipping stems in pan glue before inserting is the
  easiest method