How to make a bouquet: 1-Selecting plant materials

Success in flower arranging starts with your skill in selecting plant materials that will be suitable for the particular arrangement you want to make. Here are some of the things to think about—the design elements—when choosing flowers and foliages:

COLOR

Consider the hue of the color—red, yellow, blue, for example. The names around the color wheel at left are hues. Next, check the value of the color: Is it light or dark? Then check the intensity, which can vary from bright to dull. Some colors are warm—yellows and oranges, for example; others, like blues and violets, are cool.

For your first arrangement select all warm hues or all cool hues. You may want to use related hues—for example, yellow, yellow-orange, and orange; or blue, blue-violet, and violet. In such a color scheme, use most of one hue, least of another, and an in-between amount of the third hue. Or you may choose a scheme with one kind of color, such as all yellows or all greens. If you use only one hue, make sure to select plant materials of different shapes, sizes, or textures.  Later you may want to try a complementary color scheme. You can obtain dramatic contrasts by combining red and green, violet and yellow, or any other two hues that are opposite each other on the color wheel. One of the complementary hues should be lighter in value than the other, and one should be brighter than the other. Use more of one hue than of the other.

Flower colors should harmonize with one another, with the container, and with the background—such as a tablecloth—against which the arrangement will be displayed.

SIZE

Select flowers and leaves of different sizes. Use the buds and small flowers and leaves at the top and edges of the arrangement; place the large leaves or fully opened flowers low in the arrangement.

SHAPE

Study the many shapes of flowers, leaves, and stems. Plant materials are put into three main groups according to their shape:

Spiky or linear shapes: These are best for line and line-mass arrangements; they set directions and cause a feeling of movement; they are often used to form the skeleton of the arrangement.