CONSTRUCTING A CIRCULAR MOUND ARRANGEMENT Written by: Holli Bowman & David Lynn Hall County Board of Education April 2003 Modified by Georgia Agriculture Education Curriculum Office September 2005

This presentation is designed to supplement the textbook, Floriculture: Designing Merchandising, Unit 10 “Circular Arrangements”. The author is Charles Griner and it is published by Delmar Publishers.

Step 1: Selecting Materials low, round container (6’ design bowl) 1/3 block of floral foam waterproof anchor tape 9 standard carnations 3 stems pompon (daisy) mums 3 stems baby’s breath 8 stems leatherleaf fern floral preservative

Step 2: Preparing the Container Cut approximately 1/3 block of floral foam. The floral foam should extend about one inch above the rim of the container. Saturate the floral foam in a warm preservative solution. Secure the floral foam to the container with waterproof anchor tape.

Step 2: Continued Criss-cross the tape over the foam and attach the ends to the container. Tape it off center to leave room for a flower stem in the middle of the foam. Do not attach more than one inch of tape to the container. Long strips of tape will be difficult to hide.

Step 3: Greening the Base Place a circle of leatherleaf fern around the rim of the container. Allow the fern to overlap the side of the container. Save the remaining part of the fern stem for later use. Many designers green the entire arrangement prior to placement of any flowers.

Step 4: Adding the Base Flowers Place four standard carnations straight into the foam, opposite each other at the rim of the container. These four carnations should form a square pattern. The base of the carnation blooms should extend just past the fern tips. These carnations should be equidistant from the center of the arrangement.

Step 5: Establishing the Height Place the carnation, with the straightest stem, in the center of the floral foam at a height of 1 ½ to 2 times the width of the container. This flower will establish the uppermost boundary of the floral design.

Step 6: Placing Additional Greenery Place one piece of fern on each side of the center flower stem with the back of the fern facing the stem. Use the remaining fern stems to green the foam. Leave pairs of leaflets on the stems to reduce the number of holes in the foam. Remember that the stems should radiate from the foam.

Step 7: Adding Remaining Primary Flowers Insert four additional carnations at 45o angles halfway between the two base carnations and center carnation. Vary the height of these carnations slightly to prevent creating a row effect. These flowers should be equidistant from the center of the arrangement.

Step 8: Adding Secondary Flowers Place the pompon (daisy) mums in the spaces between the carnations. Use large blooms in large spaces and small blooms or buds in small spaces. Do not crowd the arrangement (no petals touching). Leave some space around each flower.

Step 9: Adding Filler Flowers Filler flowers such as baby’s breath or statice are added to soften the design. Cut small pieces of baby’s breath and carefully place them between flowers in the arrangement. Allow the filler flowers to stick out slightly around the flowers and foliage.

Step 10: Evaluating the Design Step back and examine the arrangement from all angles. Check for holes and add greenery or flowers where they are needed. Move flowers, if necessary, to create equal space between flowers. If you move a flower, insert it into a new hole.