February 28 is National Floral Design Day. We thought that to honor the artistry professional floral designers everywhere, we would discuss a few of the elements and principles that go into designing a living work of art. You may think that florists just put a few flowers in a vase and it comes out beautifully – but there are artistic ground rules behind every creation; these ensure that your floral arrangements is aesthetically stunning.

• Line & Form – These two basic elements are inherent in every arrangement. Vertical, horizontal, curved, independent of intersecting – the way that the flowers and accent elements interact is critical to the composition of the piece .
• Space – How space is manipulated in an arrangement makes a impact of its visual impact. Positive space is that which is filled with flowers, stems or leaves; while void spaces are the gaps in the floral display. Negative space also is devoid of any material, but it has been designed into the piece purposefully. The florist chose to have a space to draw your eye to some element of the bouquet.
• Texture – The texture of your materials can be smooth, rough, layered or one dimensional. Often natural details such as cattails or bamboo are there to add texture to the arrangement. The type of texture will relate to the overall theme of the flowers.
• Color – You might think that choosing a color would be easy, but there are a myriad of ways that primary and secondary colors relate – hue, depth and saturation also need to be considered. Color harmonies dictate how colors are used together in an arrangement.

You may be amazed to learn that this is just the beginning of the aspects of flower arranging that a florist must learn. There are schools and educational programs that exist specifically to train professional designers in their craft. So the next time you see a beautiful floral arrangement, especially if it is unique – pay close attention to the lines, the colors and the space; the intricacies of the art of flowers are complex and to be appreciated. On February 28, come into Zeidler’s Flowers in Evansville to celebrate National Floral Design Day – let us make you a stunning one of a kind arrangement!