Floral Design Study Series

The Floral Design Study Series is a unique series of lectures/demonstrations and critiqued, hands-on workshops that are offered under the sponsorship of FFGC.  It is a series of six units in basic design, and three units in advanced design.  With the objective, to develop an understanding of the art of flower arranging.  Each unit is held on one day, with three hours of lecture/demonstration in the morning, and a two-hour supervised and critiqued workshop held after a lunch break.  The series should be completed within a time span of one year. The units are taught by accredited National Garden Clubs, Inc. Flower Show Judges.  Certificates are presented to students after completion of the courses; one for the Basic Units I-VI, and one for the Advanced Units VII-IX.

Unit I

•  What is flower arranging?
•  Basic tools and mechanics
•  Basic components of a design
•  Types of containers
•  Basic forms of plant materials
•  An overview, featuring demonstration of vertical, asymmetrical, crescent designs.

Unit II

•  Care, cutting and grooming of plant materials
• Mechanics for different containers
•  Elements of Design
•  Demonstration of symmetrical, asymmetrical and diagonal designs.

Unit III

•  Compatibility of plant materials with containers
•  Selecting materials for curved
•  Geometrically-based line designs
•  Use of fruits and vegetables in designs
•  Demonstration of crescent and functional table designs.

Unit IV

•  Table settings
•  Coordination of floral designs with table components
•  Demonstrations of functional and exhibition tables for Flower Show

Unit V

•  Use of bases
•  Use of features and featured objects
•  Use of accessories
•  Demonstration of a Feature, Featured Object, Accessories and Bases
•  Demonstration of designs using wood, contrived flowers, vines

Unit VI

•  Conditioning and transporting plant materials to flower show
•  Discussion of Distinction, Tricolor, Designer’s Choice Award
•  Demonstration of Expressive Design and Interpretive Design

Unit VII

•  Study use of dried plant materials and decorative wood in designs
•  Award of Distinction, Designer’s Choice Award

Unit VIII

•  Review Interpretive Design
•  Entering the Flower Show
•  Creative Line, Creative Line-Mass, Creative Mass, Creative Abstract Line Designs

Unit IX

•  Interpretive (Expressive) designs and Creative designs