Despite all problems, aesthetics takes a special place in our life. There might be a lot of people whose greatest pleasure is flowers. For florists and phytodesigners flowers are their main job rather than a mere hobby; they create floristic compositions to decorate our life.
These masters have recently held in Kyiv an international exhibit of flower business, gardening, landscape design, and floristry entitled “Flowers&HorTech Ukraine.” Florists from the entire world spoke about the tendencies of the spring season, showed the newly breeded species of plants, and, most importantly, assessed the works of Ukraine’s only Academy of Floristry: the graduates of the academy were taking an exam within the framework of the event.
FOOTBALL FIELD MADE OF FLOWERS
The students of the academy had a complicated task: to make a gift bouquet, a collage (for example, wall pictures made of plant materials), a wedding bouquet, and also to decorate a table. All this had to be united by a common theme, colors, and a certain idea. The visitors and examination committee were most interested in the work of one of the students who created a chrysanthemum-lined moss soccer field on a table. Of course, one cannot eat at a table like this, but this becomes quite possible if one installs a glass surface 10 to 15 centimeters above the moss.
Other details of the exam assignment were executed in the same style: one of the florists made a wedding bouquet, using blue and white chrysanthemums, in a shape of a soccer ball. However, this bouquet cannot be put into a vase because it is round and the plants’ stems are not visible. But a solution was quickly found: the designer placed the ball bouquet into an ordinary mesh shopping bag (once popular avoska) and hung it up on a wooden post. This soccer-style bouquet was meant for a bride, while the next one was created specially for a soccer player.
“There are bouquets dedicated to people’s professions. For example, one can put a pen or clippings into a bouquet for a journalist, a music score for a musician, and buttons or pieces for a designer. Florists have many times thought of what can be a bouquet for a soccer player. Most frequently it is made in a shape of a soccer ball. Apart from this version, one of our students has offered another solution: she arranged a usual bouquet of roses and chrysanthemums and attached two whistles to the flower petals. Many men had their photos taken near this one,” said Natalia Aheieva, the head of the Floristry Academy.
RETRO-STYLED
On another table was a retro-styled set: a wedding bouquet made of tulips, two glasses for the newly weds, a black top hat, and white gloves. According to Aheieva, the retro style has been gaining more popularity, also in the clothing fashion.
Folk motifs are nearly never out of fashion. One of the students created a composition in the style of the Trypillian culture. Her efforts were given recognition —she received two job offers during the exhibit.
“I chose ox horns as the main element of table decoration. It was considered the symbol of Trypillia. I specifically chose a plant that looks like a bunch of thin wires; its color (dark brown) is a perfect fit for my topic. This plant is imported from India. Now you can find whatever you want in the de or shops,” said Natalia Yerina, the author of the bouquet.
“Another Trypillian symbol that can be frequently seen in ceramics is the image of intertwined serpents, which represents the continuation of the family. They are also present in my composition; I used ordinary thin hoses treated with a special white solution. As additional elements, I used bronze candlesticks with pale green chrysanthemums instead of candles. There is also a clay house of gods, something that was found in every Trypillian village. They kept corn there as a gift to the Supreme Being, while I used chrysanthemums instead.”
Interestingly, chrysanthemums were used in most of the works: white, red, green, blue, beige ones, etc. These flowers are most durable and do not wither quickly. Of course, florists could apply some little tricks to preserve flowers like putting an aspirin pill, lemon acid, or some other preservatives into a vase with flowers. But, as Aheieva said, it is better to change the water every day and trim the stems.
THREE-CORNERED BOUQUETS FOR MEN AND ROUND ONES FOR WOMEN
The would-be florists did not ignore the Easter as one of the topics. Most impressive was the work by Natalia Radchenko, who made a floral gift that looked like a bird’s nest: she made an oval wicker framework and inserted tulips and roses into it. She put several feathers and two Easter eggs made of plaster into the nest next to the flowers.
“I chose tulips for the bouquet in order to increase the springtime mood, because they symbolize blossoming. Onions that have put forth green sprouts have become another element of the decoration. As a rule, they are not used in summer and in autumn as they are regarded out-of-date in this period of time,” said Radchenko.
“Green and white colors are symbols of purity, therefore they suit the Easter theme best. Generally, this is a safe combination of colors for any composition and any theme. For example, blue and violet cannot be combined, although such variations were permitted several years ago when the decadence style was popular.”
In its assessment of the contestants’ works, the jury looked at the way the colors were chosen for the compositions, the materials they were made of, the arrangement technique, and other details. Some technical mistakes were found in nearly all the works: for example, the color of the fabric for the table was wrong, either too light or too dark. However, taking into consideration the fact that these were made by beginners, the jury gave “excellent” marks to all of the 12 graduating students.
“One of the rules of contemporary floristry is that the flowers must be wrapped. There are two kinds of wrappers: decorative and technical ones. A decorative wrapper (made of paper or any other material) is used when the bouquet is sold directly to a customer. It is needed to accentuate the color of the flowers. Technical wrappers are used in order to prevent the flowers from freezing or withering during the transportation,” Aheieva explained.
“The florists should also pay attention to the age of the person for whom the floral gift is made. Light-colored flower buds that are not fully open should be given to young people, while half-open flowers are best for people of respectable age. Since these people already have some life experience and certain achievements, one can give them flowers that have rich and bright colors. Also, attention is paid to the size of the bouquet, because it would be inopportune to give a huge armful of flowers to a person who is not tall.”
The shape of the bouquet is another thing that a florist should remember about. The shape suggests the sex of the person for whom the bouquet is intended. As a rule, three-cornered bouquets are given to men, whereas round or crescent-shaped ones, to women. Since floristry, like any kind of art, has its own fashion for colors and flowers, one should pay attention to them as well.
Aheieva says that you will never regret if you choose roses for a present. Incidentally, in France, the queen of flowers is now considered out of vogue, and florists use flowers of the buttercup family. In Ukraine roses are popular in any season, only the color changes due to the season. For example, it is better to use orange, white, and yellow roses in spring. Discard the notion that the yellow color is a symbol of parting or sadness. In Eastern culture it means the sun, joy, and wealth. When florists explain this to their customers, some of them order bouquets made of yellow flowers for solemn events like weddings.
The academy students learn about all of this in class. Their studies last for two years, and their teachers are the best experts from Ukraine and Lithuania, where floristry has been around for 15 years now. The assistant of the head of the Floristry Academy Olena Michaels said that the curriculum includes a number of professional subjects: materials science, culture and styles of floristry, ikebana, landscape design, and the principles of flower business. The teachers also tell students about the traditions of national festivities and holidays, for example, engaging or wedding parties. With their help one can give a national coloring to the event, for example, weave amulets of dried grass in the shape of a maiden’s plait. To adorn the walls, one can use household goods: pots, plates, spoons, or little figures of people. The main thing is to make flowers bring joy and positive emotions.
