Flower Arrangement

I was thinking about the difference between a flower arrangement and a bunch of flowers. Apart from the obvious difference that a bunch bought in a supermarket would cost $15 say, and an arrangement possibly using the same number of flowers would cost $45, or $85 or more. Something about an arrangement makes you go WOW, while a supermarket bunch is simply color and smell.

The first difference is in the technical aspects of arrangement: symmetry, unity, and contrast. In an arrangement all the elements are linked to each other with subtle ties of pleasing color combinations, making geometric shapes of elegant proportions, yet exciting with textural and color contrasts. These technical features are the first words that say ‘this is arranged’.

Second, an arrangement communicates appropriately for the occasion. For example, a romantic arrangement will be different to a collegial gift; a corporate arrangement suitable for an office foyer is very different to a funeral spray. Communicating with flowers entails the types of flowers but also certain stereotypical, cultural forms. For example, a funeral spray is placed or draped in certain traditional ways. Valentine roses are typically arranged spherically with babies’ breath filler.

Thirdly, each arrangement is different, entailing certain creativity on the part of the florist. I have had a situation where different people sent the same arrangement selected from a web site to the same person. What a disaster if both arrangements were exactly the same!

With this in mind, the good florist interprets in their own way the message in an order to provide an arrangement that communicates the feeling the sender wishes to convey. A good florist will spend time establishing exactly the feelings the customer wishes an arrangement to convey.