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A
Symmetrical Triangular Design
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A
classic triangular design, very much part of the flower
arranging of an earlier era, the style is still favoured
by those who want pretty flowers for weddings, funeral flowers, christenings, church arrangements, gifts and
events. This was the beginning of a series on these
traditional designs with Colleen Fernie and Carol King published in
floral design magazine in 2004 and 2005, as they took readers
through all 10 styles in this classic tradition. If you
would love to learn all 10 of these classic and beautiful English styles, which are triangle (oval), vertical, horizontal, diagonal, assymetrical (L shape), crescent, reverse crescent, hogarth (s shape), biedermeier, and cascade click
here for more information.
This is a simple starter guideline,with Colleen Fernie, for
choosing plant material to complete your first
traditional triangular or oval design. Guidelines are just that
- if you wish to use other material do so, but make sure
the material you choose has a similar
look.
You will need:
One flat dish
½
block of floral foam
plastic coated wire
netting
15-18 pieces of line material, e.g.Flax,
Rosemary
12-15 pieces of transitional (filler)
material e.g. Pittosporum, Conifer,
Manuka
6-7 smooth leaves e.g. Geranium, large
Ivy, Bergenia
1
bunch of Spray Carnations or Spray
Chrysanthemums
1
bunch of large carnations or large
chrysanthemums
2-3 large flowers to
dominate
The Ivy (Hedera) is line
material, the Alocasia (Elephant's Ear) is a
smooth
leaf, The transitional materials are the Spray
Chrysanthemums, Manuka (Rubra) and Freesia. The large
flower for dominance is the Lily
(Lilium)
Cut the foam to fit into your container with a small
amount showing above the rim. When soaking floral foam,
cut to the size required and place on top of the water.
Let this soak up in its own time, DO NOT PUSH IT UNDER.
If you push it under or allow the tap to run over the
top you will form an air lock and the floral foam will
have a dry area in the middle. The foam will not take
long to absorb at its own rate, probably only about 2-3
minutes.
Cover the top and sides of your floral foam with the
plastic coated wire netting, cutting it to size if
necessary. Press the wire so it fits firmly around the
foam. Twist two pieces of wire together to make a long
length and place it under your container. Take the wire
up over the container and twist the two ends together
very firmly. Pull on the ends as you twist, so the wire
is holding the foam, and netting securely to the
container. After twisting several times cut off the
excess wire. You should be able to turn your container
upside down and have nothing move. . |
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Line' is one of the elements of design.
For a triangular design you need
material strong enough to establish the outline.
Phormiums (New Zealand flax) or strong Ivy trails are a
couple of examples. Line is very important and you must
establish this first with the outline material you have
chosen. Line material can be greenery, branches or
flowers but greenery is most often
used.
Create the outline with pieces of your line material.
It is preferable to use the same material but a similar
kind could be used if you haven't sufficient. The
outline is created in the back ½ of the container, you
then have the front ½ of the floral foam to add further
material and you do not run out of
room.
You must have backward and forward
placements, still keeping the triangular shape with no
flat back. This gives the design 'Depth'.
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The container is very much
part of Traditional design. It needs to be in 'harmony'
with the style and the plant material chosen and the
space it occupies.
Jugs, urns, round
containers or simple bowls, candlesticks or traditional
baskets are suitable. Very large urns, medium sized
containers and small vessels held flowers and foliage
but whatever the appearance of the container it must
hold plenty of water for the mass of stems it usually
has to hold. |
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All placements must be of
varying length and must RADIATE FROM A CENTRAL POINT.
This is a characteristic for Traditional
designing.
Transitional materials are now added. Remember
'transitional' material is 'filler' type material and
this adds bulk to a design.You must still be discerning
about your choices - the design must not look stuffed.
Often, transitional material has many small side-ways
branches, trim these off. Make the branches look tidy
and that way you are 'in charge' of each piece and the
plant material does not control
you.
At this point, some smooth leaves must be added to
give "Contrast' to the rest of the material. Smooth
leaves have a larger area of smooth surface and these
give a good foil for the transitional material
used.
Some examples of smooth leaves would be: Aspidistra,
Magnolia grandiflora, Zantedeschia, Bergenia and Hosta.
Place these evenly through the design. If you have
chosen Flax for the outline you will already have a
certain amount of smooth texture.
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 Remember you still need to
have depth so don't forget the back of the design. You
should now have in front of you a very pleasing green
triangle so that you have a beautiful 'setting' for the
flowers.
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Still keeping the triangular shape, your
smaller flowers are placed out to the extremities and
the larger flowers are kept to the central area. When
placing the central large flowers, always ensure that
you do not have this area too flat. Recess some flowers
but also have some coming out to give depth to the
design. If you can touch every flower with the palm of
your hand then you must try again - some must be in,
some must be out a little.
One area is more dominant and this area is usually
just above the front lip of the container and is the
central point where all pieces of plant material meet.
Place some smaller flowers in the back, to create
'Depth'. If you have all the flowers in the front the
design will appear to be falling forward - giving a
visual balance problem.
You can take the Symmetrical Triangle and mount it on
a taller container or pedestal. A few extra placements
would come gracefully from the front and flow down,
unifying the design with the taller container or
elevation. |
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For
more of these traditional designs as step by step
lessons, click here
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