Identifying Floral Design Tools and Supplies

1 Identifying Floral Design Toolsand SuppliesIMAGINE trying to paint a picture without a canvas or abrush. Even with a wide variety of paints with which towork, you could not create the artwork without toolsand Supplies . Tools and Supplies areimportant for creating Floral designs,too. Floral Tools and Supplies arediscussed in this : Identify Tools and Supplies used in Floral Terms: Floral Design Tools and SuppliesFloral Design Tools make Floral work more efficient. Knowledge of the Tools and their usefor Floral Design is necessary for those conducting Floral : Identifying Floral Design Tools and SuppliesPage by CAERT, Inc. Reproduction by subscription pinchicken wirecorsage or boutonnierepindip dyefinishing spray or dipfloral adhesivefloral foamfloral foam holderfloral gluefloral sprayfloral tapefloral tintflorist knivesflorist shearsflorist wirefoilglitter spraygreening pinhyacinth stakelightweight foilneedlepoint holderpan-melt gluepick machinepoly foilpruning shearsribbonribbon scissorsstem dyeunderwater cuttersutility scissorswater tubewaterproof tapewood pickCUTTING TOOLSC utting Tools are those items used to cut plant materials and such Design Supplies as floralfoam, ribbon, and KnivesFlorist knivesare used formany Floral Design tasks.

2 Theirprimary use is for cutting knives and paring-typeknives are the two choices fordesigners. A folding knife is easilycarried in one s pocket. To beeffective a florist knife must bekept sharp. Because of this, safetyis an issue. The correct cuttingmethod involves holding the stemwith one hand. With the otherhand, the knife is held at an angleto the stem. The cut is made asthe stem is pulled are cutting Tools used tocut woody , which are sometimescalled swelled-blade shears, looklike scissors with short, serratedblades. Florist shears are recom-mended over scissors becausethey cut through plant materialwithout pinching the cutting plant material, flo-rist shears can be used to cut flo-rist shearscut thickand tough woody stems. Thereare two styles . The recommendedstyle has a sharp cutting blade and operates much like a scissors. It provides a clean, smoothcut. The style to be avoided has a sharp blade that cuts the stem against a flat surface.

3 As itmakes the cut, the stem is pinched and tissues are crushed. To protect the blade edge, neveruse pruning shears to cut florist : Identifying Floral Design Tools and SuppliesPage by CAERT, Inc. Reproduction by subscription 1. Knives are efficient Tools for any Floral 2. Florist shears (top) and pruning shears (bottom) are used forcutting woody are useful Tools in thedesign scissorshave long, sharp blades designedfor cutting ribbon, netting, andfabric. They should not be usedfor cutting stems or florist wire,because those uses will damagethe scissorsareused to cut paper, leaves, andother CuttersUnderwater cuttersaredesigned to cut flower stemswhile they are submerged inwater. The practice extends thelife of the flowers and is especiallyrecommended for FOR CENTERPIECES, SPRAYS, ANDVASE ARRANGEMENTSA wide range of Floral products are used for a variety of purposes.

4 Some Supplies are usedfor centerpieces, sprays, and vase arrangements. Some materials are used with for a container arrangement begin with the container. An arrangement can bemade in any container imaginable, and many types of containers are available through whole-sale FoamFloral foamprovides supportand stability for the stems. Floralfoam crushes easily and does notreturn to are two types of floralfoam. One type is a porous mate-rial that holds water for fresh cutflowers. It is most often green andavailable in a brick measuring 3" 4" 9". The brick is easily cutE-unit: Identifying Floral Design Tools and SuppliesPage by CAERT, Inc. Reproduction by subscription 3. Utility scissors can be used for trimming foliage or cutting paperor other 4. Floral foam is porous and easy to cut with a a Floral knife, butter knife, or heavy-gauge wire to fit the container being used.

5 The othertype is dry foam typically used for dry arrangements. It is usually available in MaterialsFloral foam can be attached to a container with waterproof tape, an anchor pin, or tapecomes in widths of1/4and1/2inch and in green, white, or clear. It isused primarily to secure Floral foam in a container. Ananchor pinis a plastic four-prongeddesign mechanic secured to the bottom of a container with Floral clay or glue. It is particularlyuseful with a low glueis an adhesive that can be used to secure Floral foamto a container. Dry foam is dipped into the pan-melt glue and promptly placed in the plasticcontainer or liner. Pieces of pan-melt glue are heated to a temperature of 275 F (135 C) in for Floral SupportTwo mechanics other than Floral foam that provide support for flowers are the needlepointholder and chicken wire. Aneedlepoint holderis a Design mechanic consisting of a heavymetal base with many sharp, closely spaced upright pins or needles.

6 It also goes by the namesfrog and pin holder. Needlepoint holders are used for designs with just a few flowers and withline wireis a wire mesh used alone in a vase or in combination with floralfoam. The chicken wire provides added support for heavy and/or thick Floral SuppliesAgreening pinis a two-pronged metal pin with an S or flat top. It is used to securemoss or other tubeis a plastic tube with a rubber top that has a small opening to accept a floralstem. The tube holds water and is used for boxed flowers that may be out of water for a stakeis a longgreen wooden stick to whichflowers can be attached for addi-tional pickis a narrow pieceof wood with a wire attached atthe top. It is used with dried orsilk flowers to give stems addedlength or strength. Wood picksare available in various a material used to wrappots or line baskets and contain-ers. There are two foilhas color on one sideand is silver on the a bit thicker due to a thinE-unit: Identifying Floral Design Tools and SuppliesPage by CAERT, Inc.

7 Reproduction by subscription 5. Water tubes, hyacinth stakes, and greening pins are commonfloral Design covering on the less colorful side. It provides some protection from leakage of is available in a wide range of machineis used with dry flowers. It attaches a metal pick to a stem or bunch ofstems and, in essence, lengthens and strengthens the stem(s). Supplies FOR CORSAGES, BOUQUETS,AND BOUTONNIERESF loral Design Supplies lessen the work involved in the construction of corsages, bouquets,and boutonnieres. They also allow a greater range of work to be wireis sold in 18-inch lengths and is available in different gauges, or thicknesses. Asmaller gauge number means a thicker wire. Usually #26 wire is used for bows, #24 formedium-weight flowers, and #22 for heavier tapeis paper coated with paraffin or wax. It is available in1/2- and 1-inch Floral tape is used to cover wires and stems of corsage and boutonniere work, while1-inch Floral tape is used for bouquets and wreaths.

8 Floral tape is available in many it is stretched and pulled tightly around the work, it sticks to be satin, cotton, silk, paper, or burlap. Common ribbon sizes are #1, #11/2,#3, #5, #9, and #40. Ribbon sizes #1, #11/2, and #3 are used for corsage work. Ribbon sizes#5 and #9 are used for potted plants. Large bows used for funeral sprays require #40 foam holderis a plastic cage with a handle. A saturated piece of Floral foam isplaced inside the cage. Although the arrangement is not as sturdy as a bouquet that is wiredand taped, the flowers stay fresher sprays and tints are materials used to change the natural colors of flowers to matchfabric colors. Afloral sprayis an opaque paint that completely masks the flower color. Aflo-ral tintis a translucent paint that allows some of the flower color to show. Aglitter spraycontains glittery, metallic dyeis a color solution transported up through the xylem of the stem to flower color of a flower head can be changed by dipping it in a semitransparent color solutioncalled adip glueis used for many purposes, such as securing silk flowers.

9 A glue gun heats theglue, which is extruded with the pull of the adhesiveis used in the construction of a hair piece or spray or dipis applied to a finished corsage to seal the stomata. Sealing thestomata reduces water loss from the plant tissue and extends the useful life of the Floral or boutonniere pinis used to attach the Floral work to clothing. A corsagepin is longer than a boutonniere pin. Both pins have rounded : Identifying Floral Design Tools and SuppliesPage by CAERT, Inc. Reproduction by subscription :2 Florist knives, florist shears, pruning shears, ribbon scissors, and utility scissors arecommon Tools used to cut plant materials and Design Supplies . Underwater cuttersare used to cut submerged flower Floral products are used for centerpieces, sprays, and vase arrangements. Floralfoam provides support and stability for the stems. Floral foam can be attached to a con-tainer with waterproof tape, an anchor pin, or pan-melt glue.

10 A needlepoint holder andchicken wire provide support for flowers. Other Tools or Supplies used in Design workinclude greening pins, water tubes, hyacinth stakes, wood picks, foil, and pick Design Supplies for corsages, bouquets, and boutonnieres include florist wire, flo-ral tape, ribbon, and Floral foam holders. Floral sprays, Floral tints, glitter sprays, stemdyes, and dip dyes are used to change the appearance of flowers. Floral glue, Floral adhe-sives, finishing sprays or dips, and corsage and boutonniere pins are other Your Knowledge: 1. What types of cutting Tools are used in Floral work?2. What are the two types of Floral foam?3. What are common Supplies used in designing centerpieces, sprays, and vases?4. What are common Supplies used in designing corsages, bouquets, andboutonnieres?5. What Supplies are used to change the color or appearance of flowers?Expanding Your Knowledge:LVisit Floral supply company Web sites and browse their online catalogs.