Many people enjoy receiving flowers whether it is for a birthday, anniversary, or just because. However, not a lot of people think about the history behind the floral arrangement they just ordered or received. There is a lot of history behind this particular form of art. Here is a quick history lesson about floral design.
Florist toronto
The earliest signs of flower arranging come from ancient Egypt about as far bas as 2,500 B.C.. These ancient Egyptians were the first people to place cut flowers in vases, bowls, and other containers. They used a lot of Acacia, roses, violets, jasmine, water and Madonna lilies, and Lotus flowers. Lotus flowers were a very popular choice since it is was sacred and represented the goddess Isis. Flower arrangements were displayed in temples, homes, and other public areas in many different containers. There is plenty of evidence that they used clay pots, gold or silver vases, bowls, and wide mouthed basins. The style the Egyptians had was a very simple, clean, and orderly type that normally used the repetition of certain patterns or colors.
Looking back to about 600 B.C., we can see that the ancient Greeks and Romans also used flowers, but it was more for adornment, not for display. Ancient Greeks and Romans would sometimes use vases to display their arrangement, but not very often. They made a lot of wreaths and garlands that would be worn by athletes, heroes, and poets. Olive branches were also very common and were used for wedding ceremonies. Their designs were also fairly simplistic and were normally very symmetrical. They used many different plants, flowers, and herds in their arrangements, but fragrance was what mattered most in an arrangement, not so much the color. Flower petals were normally scattered on the ground or on a bed for different ceremonies.
Jumping a little further ahead to about the 1400's during the Renaissance, Baroque, and Flemish periods is where we can start to see more of the styles we see today. During the Renaissance, they used lots of fruits and foliage combined with different flowers and placed in vases. These designs would become more elaborate the further into the time period, and arrangements were normally twice the height of the container they were in. During the Baroque or Flemish these designs were very flamboyant and introduce popular designs like the S-Design and Waterfall. The most popular arrangement of the time was the Hogarthian curve. These displays are still used with today's floral arrangements.
These periods in history had paved the way for floral design and have influenced many designs that are used today. However, it wasn't until the Victorian Era during the 1800's that people tried to come up with different rules that would apply to this art form. These rules may not have been fully developed, but it wasn't too long after that till actual guidelines were set. In America, they followed all of the same patterns because of cultural cross over, and around the 1900's throughout the world we started to see more contemporary and modern designs become more popular. They were influenced largely by characteristics from Oriental arrangements. These new forms spread quickly through America after the First World War. Flowers were then widely used to decorate homes, offices, sent as gifts, and bought for every day enjoyment.
Florist toronto
Florist toronto
The earliest signs of flower arranging come from ancient Egypt about as far bas as 2,500 B.C.. These ancient Egyptians were the first people to place cut flowers in vases, bowls, and other containers. They used a lot of Acacia, roses, violets, jasmine, water and Madonna lilies, and Lotus flowers. Lotus flowers were a very popular choice since it is was sacred and represented the goddess Isis. Flower arrangements were displayed in temples, homes, and other public areas in many different containers. There is plenty of evidence that they used clay pots, gold or silver vases, bowls, and wide mouthed basins. The style the Egyptians had was a very simple, clean, and orderly type that normally used the repetition of certain patterns or colors.
Looking back to about 600 B.C., we can see that the ancient Greeks and Romans also used flowers, but it was more for adornment, not for display. Ancient Greeks and Romans would sometimes use vases to display their arrangement, but not very often. They made a lot of wreaths and garlands that would be worn by athletes, heroes, and poets. Olive branches were also very common and were used for wedding ceremonies. Their designs were also fairly simplistic and were normally very symmetrical. They used many different plants, flowers, and herds in their arrangements, but fragrance was what mattered most in an arrangement, not so much the color. Flower petals were normally scattered on the ground or on a bed for different ceremonies.
Jumping a little further ahead to about the 1400's during the Renaissance, Baroque, and Flemish periods is where we can start to see more of the styles we see today. During the Renaissance, they used lots of fruits and foliage combined with different flowers and placed in vases. These designs would become more elaborate the further into the time period, and arrangements were normally twice the height of the container they were in. During the Baroque or Flemish these designs were very flamboyant and introduce popular designs like the S-Design and Waterfall. The most popular arrangement of the time was the Hogarthian curve. These displays are still used with today's floral arrangements.
These periods in history had paved the way for floral design and have influenced many designs that are used today. However, it wasn't until the Victorian Era during the 1800's that people tried to come up with different rules that would apply to this art form. These rules may not have been fully developed, but it wasn't too long after that till actual guidelines were set. In America, they followed all of the same patterns because of cultural cross over, and around the 1900's throughout the world we started to see more contemporary and modern designs become more popular. They were influenced largely by characteristics from Oriental arrangements. These new forms spread quickly through America after the First World War. Flowers were then widely used to decorate homes, offices, sent as gifts, and bought for every day enjoyment.
Florist toronto