Vo l u me X X , I s s u e 2 , Wi n t e r 2 0 0 6 / 2 0 0 7 e s n by T h e F l o w e r A r r a n g i n g S t u d y G r o u p o f T h e G a r d e n C l u b o f A m e r i c a PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Stmbt Spgs,CO Permit #58 Printed four times a year. Deadlines for submission are the first of the month: September, December, March and june. One year domestic subscriptions $20 US; con- sider payment of multiple years. International subscriptions will be subject to additional mailing costs. Non GCA subscribers most welcome. Neither The Garden Club of America nor its Flower Arranging Study Group, endorses any product, event or service. Information contained herein is solely for the edification of the reader. D e s n by T h e F l o w e r A r r a n g i n g S t u d y G r o u p o f T h e G a r d e n C l u b o f A m e r i c a CHAIRMAN Mary Jo Strawbridge 25 Merion Road Merion Station, PA 19066 610-664-5096 fax 610-664-2716 [email protected]TREASURER Sherran Blair 4670 Tensweep Road New Albany, OH 43054-8917 614-239-4610 fax 614-239-4681 [email protected]MEMBERSHIP Gail Emmons 15 Vida Descansada Orinda, CA 94563-1829 [email protected]WAFA LIAISON and ADVISOR Marty Van Allen PO Box 22 Dickson’s Mill Road Green Village, NJ 07935-0022 973-443-0322 fax 973-443-0207 [email protected]BOOKS Helen Goddard Box P-5 South Dartmouth, MA 02748-0301 508-003-0077 fax 508-993-0024 [email protected]CHAIRMAN FLOWER SHOW COMMITTEE Lee LaPointe, Garden Club of Nashville 625 Riomar Drive Vero Beach, FL 32963 (772) 234-3438 (772) 234-2778 fax [email protected]SUBSCRIPTIONS and RENEWALS Jessica Nicholson, Garden Club of Lexington 3115 Military Pike Lexington, KY 40513-9725 859-223-4044 • 859-381-9512 [email protected]EDITOR Liza Weihman 185 Old Mill Road Greenwich, CT 06831 203-661-2655 fax 203-862-9656 [email protected]FLOWER ARRANGING STUDY GROUP BY DESIGN 3115 Military Pike Lexington, KY 40513 AnotherWonderful The World Association of Flower Arrangers (WAFA) has opened many doors to those who participate in their flower shows every three years. I have been lucky enough to participate in several of WAFA’s shows and have met some terrific fellow flower arrangers along the way. One of these new friends, Marie-Francois Deprez, is a floral art teacher who has her own school in Bourg- en-Bresse, France. She invited me to be one of the judges for the international flower show in Bourg-en- Bresse in November 2006. The show was part of a landscape garden show similar to The Philadelphia Flower Show, but smaller in scale. There were 9 classes with 125 plus participants from 12 countries. The Bourg-en-Bresse Flower Show (really the Marie-Francois Show) is held every three years and anyone can enter. New Zealand had a group of 24 that entered the show. They all had a fantastic experience. (Let’s form a group and do it in 2009.) It was an exciting show with a wide range of talent. The cutting edge designs seem to belong to the continental Europeans. I didn’t see a traditional flower arrangement in the whole show. I judged with two lovely ladies, one spoke English and one did not. My language limitation was frustrating in that it restricted the normal lively communication among all the judges. The first judging criteria was “Does the design conform to the name of the show and the name of the class?” After that, the judges focused on the principles and elements of design. With few exceptions there were no written comments. There were many activities for the floral artist participants. We were able to see a demonstration by a top European designer Stef Andriaenssens, attend an all day workshop with three different teachers from Belgium, Italy and France (my favorite day). We were offered a day trip to “Discover Lyon”, and all of the out-of-town flower show participants were treated to a wonderful evening with Marie-Francois and family in her home. Experience Because of WAFA Thunder and Lightning First Place by Gail Emmons, Orinda GardenClub
Transcript
Volume XX, Issue 2, Winter 2006 / 2007
e s nbyThe Flower Arranging Study Group
of The Garden Club of America
PRESORTEDSTANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDStmbt Spgs,CO
Permit #58
Printed four times a year. Deadlines for submission are the first of the month: September, December, March and june. One year domestic subscriptions $20 US; con-sider payment of multiple years. International subscriptions will be subject to additional mailing costs. Non GCA subscribers most welcome. Neither The Garden Club of America nor its Flower Arranging Study Group, endorses any product, event or service. Information contained herein is solely for the edification of the reader.
The World Association of Flower Arrangers (WAFA) has opened many doors to those who participate in their flower shows every three years. I have been lucky enough to participate in several of WAFA’s shows and have met some terrific fellow flower arrangers along the way.
One of these new friends, Marie-Francois Deprez, is a floral art teacher who has her own school in Bourg-en-Bresse, France. She invited me to be one of the judges for the international flower show in Bourg-en-Bresse in November 2006. The show was part of a landscape garden show similar to The Philadelphia Flower Show, but smaller in scale.
There were 9 classes with 125 plus participants from 12 countries. The Bourg-en-Bresse Flower Show (really the Marie-Francois Show) is held every three years and anyone can enter. New Zealand had a group of 24 that entered the show.
They all had a fantastic experience. (Let’s form a group and do it in 2009.)
It was an exciting show with a wide range of talent. The cutting edge designs seem to belong to the continental Europeans. I didn’t see a traditional flower arrangement in the whole show.
I judged with two lovely ladies, one spoke English and one did not. My language limitation was frustrating in that it restricted the normal lively communication among all the judges.
The first judging criteria was “Does the design conform to the name of the show and the name of the class?” After that, the judges focused on the principles and elements of design. With few exceptions there were no written comments.
There were many activities for the floral artist participants.
We were able to see a demonstration by a top European designer Stef Andriaenssens, attend an all day workshop with three different teachers from Belgium, Italy and France (my favorite day).
We were offered a day trip to “Discover Lyon”, and all of the out-of-town flower show participants were treated to a wonderful evening with Marie-Francois and family in her home.
Experience Because of WAFA
Thunder and Lightning First Place
by Gail Emmons, Orinda GardenClub
Page 15Page 2
Oooohhhh Prunella is pleased...thank you all for the many good items!
Jane Godshalk wrote: “Here is a tip for Prunella. Last week I taught a class at Longwood on "Shades of Autumn" and researched how to preserve fall foliage. Two tricks: 1) Spray leaves with starch or 2) Dip leaves in solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 Future floor wax. My experiment had both looking just about the same although the waxed ones were slightly glossier. Also, you can get ‘lichen branch-es’ from Bob at HOH Grown although they are not listed in their catalogue or website. The lichen and fresh green wreaths are wonderful, too.” 360-417-0201
From Penny Horne: “Found an old but good reminder for you - when ribbon is attached to a wood pick to insert in an arrangement (being hopeful that the ribbon will magically stay dry in wet Oasis), simply wrap the wood pick with stem wrap before inserting and that will prevent the wood pick and ribbon from absorbing moisture.”
Check out this monthly newsletter for a good source of inspiration: [email protected] - according to the always-inspired Liza Weihman.
Tasha Tobin sent this “note for Prunella: vacuum rocks or wash to clean. When dry, spray with leaf shine so colors remain but don’t look wet. This is what Andreas Verheijen did in the chapel at Dromantine.”
Prunella posits that perhaps a product that might prove useful is Wine Away. It has not yet been tested on lily pollen, but it certainly seems to remove most other difficult stains. It can be purchased at most wineries and wine shops, grocery stores -- such as Whole Foods and Larry's Market, QFC, and Byerly's Liquor Stores, as well as through wine accessory cata-logs. Nationally, Wine Away is available at: Williams- Sonoma, Nordstrom At Home, and Linens N Things. It can also be purchased at numerous on-line e-tailers such as IWAWINE, Wineappreciation, Portalmarket, Stratsplace, and Drugstore.com. It can also be purchased at numer-ous on-line retailers...
Marian Latimer emailed this good hint for cheering gray winter days: “Miss Prunella, I want to share with you a website that I can spend hours exploring. If you have never been there, try The Flower Council of Holland. The links take you every-where and you don’t have to be a florist or have a tax ID# to us it.” http://www.flowercouncil.org/us/
Jo Anne Rosen brought this neat item to Nashville. I haven’t tried it yet but she says it’s great: ‘The Flower Stripper’ by Floral Marketing, (800) 500-2120; about $5.95 for three.
Prunella paid attention to the pro-grams while lucky enough to be at the Dromantine conference last summer and actually picked up a few pointers of pos-sible use.
From Michael Walters: to avoid those pesky strings, circle material three times with glue gun after placing dot of glue.From Hannelore Billat-Reinhardt: for maximum flexibility leave sanseveria and similar leaves out of water for one to three days before using them in arrange-ments. Use fingers to break spines. To narrow, strip side edges by peeling back strips.
From Althea Higham: work stem of Anthurium with thumbs together to establish curves just the way one handles broom. She notes that palm spaeths can be reshaped by soaking until absolutely sodden. For an interesting and unexpect-ed shape in arrangements pluck (all in one violent poof) carnations and use the de-petaled head. The petals are effective floating at the water line of the design or strewn outside the container.
From Richard Haslam: condition all orchids under water for hours except for Phalenopsis which wants to be sub-merged for only one hour. He really likes Oasis Floral Adhesive, as the glue does not leave marks on flowers as it dries. When working with the heavy gauge wire, manipulate to achieve desired shape, don’t squash.
Martha McClellan, resting from all of her responsibilities in Nashville, caught the following hints from Giusy Ferrari-Cielo: Wooden skewers may be inserted into the
heavy stems of flowers such as Strelitzia and thus reduce the size of the hole made in the Oasis. The wood skewers wick some moisture into the flowers.
Wooden skewers can also be inserted into Equisetum to increase the straight rigid line.
Penny Horne picked up great remind-ers from The Illinois State Florists’ Association Bulletin, Summer 2006 edi-tion. “How often should buckets be cleaned?” “When the worker/owner is not willing to drink out of it, the time has come to clean them.”
“How do I open tight carnations, lilies, or blooming branches?” “To hasten the flower opening, use slightly warmer water when mixing the floral food solution and cover the flowers with a clear plastic bag.”
“What are the latest recommendations for using underwater cutters?”
“Underwater cutting in contaminated water is worse than cutting in the air.”Flowers that benefit from Hydration Solutions are any wilted or dehydrated flower, Gerbera, Kangaroo Paws, Lady’s Mantle, Phlox, Queen Anne’s Lace, Roses (all types), Sandersonia, Scabiosa, Sunflowers, and Veronica.
And...Just in time for next Christmas (only eleven months away!): Penny Horne enthuses over “Beautiful, fresh cut mistletoe! Ask for lots of berries you will get them!” Trillium Gardens, P.O. Box 803, Pleasant Hill, Oregon 97455. (541) 937-3073. Also a good a source for native trees and plants, shrubs, water plants, roses, ferns, grasses, and perennials.
As always, Prunella joins me in sending very best wishes for health, peace (per-sonal and global), contentment, laughter, music, inspiration, tolerance and courage in 2007. We hope you had the merriest ever and we wish you a happy, happy.
With the usual disclaimer and..... PLEASE SEND MATERIAL!! ...
Bliss C. Clark 40 Tonnancour Place Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236-3033fax: (313) 882-7179e-mail: [email protected]
Random Resources
Sunbeams
The entire experience was one that happened
because The Flower Arranging Study Group
(FASG) became a member in WAFA. This is a great
organization that has a flower show every three years
somewhere in the world.
The National Garden Clubs, Inc. and FASG will
be hosting the WAFA Show in Boston in 2011. Of
course we will need all of you to participate and
enter this incredible show. More information will
be coming your way on this huge and exciting
undertaking. The 2008 WAFA Show will be in
Pakistan --- and then it’s OUR TURN in 2011.
Thunder and LightningThunder and Lightning
Page 3Page 14
Best in Show
BALANCEWhen we say “balance” in ikebanait means, balance in weight,balance in color,balance in shape,balance in size,balance in strength,balance in strength,balance in length of the plants.
Balance refers to physical balanceWhich can be sought in all things.It also means spiritual balance,Which requires our emotions and judgment to achieve.
There is balance in the seasons.Some climates have four distinct seasons.Some don’t, it located in high latitudesOr very low latitudes.Plants which grow in these different localesGive us a different sense of the seasons.
There is balance in the physical properties of plants.Some grow upright, others grow at a slant.Some drop, others creep.Some grow tall, others stay short.
There is a balance in volume.Some plants contain much moisture.Others have little moisture.Some are hard, others are soft.Some are smooth to the touch, others are course.
There is a balance in the environment were plants grow.Some grow at the water’s edge,Some grow on the mountainside, and others grow on the sides of hills.
All these forms of balance relate to our natural environment.However, in ikebana we not only attempt to imitate the natural environment; we create a sense of balance in our minds, a balance created through our relationships with flowers.
With the advent of another year, I thought the following poem, taken from the book IKEBANA ICHIYO SCHOOL by Akihiro Kasuya, and addressing one of the elements of design to be apt in more ways than one. ` Liza Weihman, Greenwich Garden Club
Connecticut Flower and Garden Show “Weather or Not” February 22-25, 2007. 25th Anniversary, Convention Center, Hartford, CT (860) 844-8461
"Whatever the Weather" February 28 - March 1, 2007. A GCA Flower Show, pre-sented by Jupiter Island Garden Club at Jupiter Island Beach Club, South Beach Rd., Hobe Sound, FL. Hours open to the public: February 28, 2pm-5pm and March 1, 10am-4pm. Cecile Cruger (772) 546-1645 *P & J
Preview of Spring -"Celebrate" March 2. 10:00am-7:00pm & March 3, 10:00am-4:00pm. A Major Flower Show, presented by Green Fingers Garden Club at Christ Church Parish Hall, 254 East Putnam Ave., Greenwich, CT. Contact: Cricket Lockhart (203) 618-1979 or Marie Woodburn (203) 629-5436 *P & J
Philadelphia Flower Show “Legends of Ireland” March 4-11, 2007. Pennsylvania Convention Center
New England Spring Flower Show March 17-25, 2007. Bayside Expo Center. Boston, MA
Bouquets to Art March 20-24, 2007. De Young Museum, San Francisco CA. www.bouquetstoart.com
"Treasures of Pasadena" April 20-22, 2007. A GCA Flower Show, presented by The Pasadena Garden Club at The Conservatory and Botanical Complex of Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Hours open to the public: April 21, 10:30am - 4:30pm and March 22, 10:30am - 3:00pm. Contact: Petrie Wilson (626) 799-7261. *P
Cincinnati Flower Show April 21-29, 2007. on the banks of Lake Como at Coney Island, Ohio
2007 Harrogate Spring Flower Show April 26-29, 2007. Harrogate, England - Harrogate Flower Shows. Tel: 011-44-01423-561049, Fax: 011-44-01423-536880. [email protected], www.flowershow.org.uk
RHS Chelsea Flower Show May 22-26, 2007. London, England
Cleveland Botanical Garden Flower Show, “Rhythm and Hues"May 24-28, 2007. CBG on University Circle
"Celebrate the City-Inspirations 2007" June 1-3, 2007. A Major Flower Show, presented by The Portland Garden Club at The Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Avenue, Portland. Hours open to the public: June 2 and 3, 10am-5pm. Contact: Dede DeJager (503) 292-1372. *P & J
"Northern Exposure 2007" June 17-19, 2007. A GCA Flower Show, presented by Lake Minnetonka Garden Club (MN) at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum - Snyder Building. Hours open to the public: June 18, 10am - 5pm and June 19, 10am - 2pm. Contact: Mary Raymond: (952) 475-0414 or [email protected] * P
Art en Fleurs "The Spirit of the Earth" July 18-20, 2007. A Major Flower Show, presented by Green Tree GC, Kettle Moraine GC, Lake Geneva GC, Town & Country GC, at Boerner Botanical Gardens. Hours open to the public: July 18, 2pm - 5pm, July 19, 8am - 8pm and July 20, 8am - 4pm. Contact: Cato Schiley (414) 352-8816 or [email protected]. *P & J
12th Annual New Port Flower Show"Sea Fever...A Tribute to the Tall Ships"June 22-24, 2007. Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Ave, Newport RI www.newportmansions.org
* NOTE: P and/or J at the end of the show description indicates that there are photography and/or botanical jewelry classes
C A L E N D A R
Page 13Page 4
These past seven months have been a very busy time for our floral artists and these are the best of the best of their fruits of labor.
Class I Five Carats in a Tiffany Setting
First Place and Dorothy Vietor Munger Award
Pam Kindler, Rye Garden Club
Class II Diamond Jubilee
First Place, Best in Show and The Harriet DeWaele Puckett Award
Laurie Haley and Laurie Chabot, Little Garden Club of Rye
Labors of Love
Class IV "It’s a Good Thing"
First Place Dorothy Vietor Munger Awardand Best in Show
Laura Haley, Little Garden Club of Rye
Pictures courtesy of Pam Kindler
FLORAL DESIGN BASICSBasing Techniques
CLUSTERINGPlacing plant material together, usually at the base of a design so that flowers loose their identity and become a group of color and texture.
PAvE A very tight cluster, one item right next to the other.
TUFTINGBunches of short flower stems placed together in a radiating fashion to create a tufted, airy look. A few radiating branches extend above the tuft.
LAYERINGPlacing materials one on top of the other, creating a layered effect.
STACkING Layering with longer or cylindrical materials.
TERRACINGPlacement of the same materials on top of one another, giving a stair step appearance.
GROUPINGAND zONING
Methods of bunching similar type materials together to emphasize form and colors.
Pictures courtesy of Laurie Haley
Class IV "It’s A Good Thing"
Second Place, The Harriet DeWaele Puckett Award and the first winner of the Kit Barker Creativity Award,
given by Little Garden Club of Rye.
Ellen Avellino and Elaine Buss, Greenfingers Garden Club
(See “How Did I Get This Idea?” on page 16)
Ex LibrisRye Garden Club • September 22-23, 2006
Color, Cut and ClarityLittle Garden Club of Rye • May 11-12, 2006
by Jane Godshalk, Four Counties Garden Club
Pictures courtesy of Design Conpendium, Hitomi Gillian
Picture by Paula Pryke
Page 5Page 12
Alexandria: Where History GrowsZone V Flower Show • October 4-6, 2006
Flowers and Art 2006: Arranged AccompanimentKnoxville Garden Club • October 4-6, 2006
Agave, metalSpecial Exhibit by Loly Marsano, Genova, Italy
Bark, peppers
Special Exhibit by Loly Marsano
Picture courtesy of Pinky Roe
Class IV Gibraltar
First Place, The Dorothy Vietor Munger Award and Best in Show
Mary Jo Strawbridge and Jennifer Morrison, The Garden Workers
Class I Hip Hop
A design using two or more containers.
First Place and The Sandra Baylor Novice Award to Carlton Long, Knoxville Garden Club who complimented the oil painting by Scott Duce with her creation of Anigozanthos, kangaroo paw, and Selaginella pallescens, moss fern.
Carlton’s Statement of Intent: “Bare trees in the valley wait to be warmed by the sun.”
Page 11Page 6
Flowers and Art 2006: Arranged Accompaniment (Continued)
Knoxville Garden Club • October 4-6, 2006
Class III All That Jazz
Create a contemporary design utilizing current trends (e.g. weaving, binding, folding, etc.)
First Place and The Dorothy Vietor Munger Award to Martha McClellan and Mary Hugh Bedinger, Knoxville Garden Club
Class II Rock and Roll
Compliment the artwork using bold color.
First Place and The Harriet DeWaele Puckett Creativity Award to Becky Tate and Jet Dunlap
Knoxville Garden Club.
Spheres used in this arrangement represented circular motions in the painting, “Stranger” by Timothy Berry. Purple Strobilanthes dyeriana “Persian Shield”
covered the orbs. Dendrobium orchids, dahlia and rhododendron made up the cluster of flowers.
Pictures courtesy of Marian Latimer, Lookout Mountain Garden Club
Mitsumata, phalenopsis
Special Exhibit by Gin RibaudiPainted canvas, painted leaves
Special Exhibit by Gin Ribaudi, ItalyAcrylic, Agave. The leaves are dried lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
ConvenientA TruthThe much-maligned carnation, Dianthus caryophyllus, needs rethinking. Having just come from a Philadelphia workshop with Hitomi Gillian, I have a new respect for the ubiquitous carnation.
The Dianthus “ flower of the gods” or” flower of love” depending on the source has been in cultivation for more than 2,000 years. Depending on the color, the meaning of the carnation runs the gamete, from: I’ll never forgive you, to whimsical, admiration, rejection, innocence, sorry, no and yes. The color choices are virtually unlimited thanks to companies like Florigene Flowers.
Through genetic modification the company makes exciting and sustainable improvements to floral species. Crossbreeding of existing varieties allows for better results in color, vase
life, etc. The Florigene Moon carnations, for example, capture
an incredible range of purples.
Rather than use roses exclusively in a Biedermier design, use the carnation as the base flower. The texture is rich, like a beautiful carpet. The flower is very affordable and is a wonderful gage to show off/set up the beauty of the rose. You have saved the “wow” factor of the rose for last where it gets the most credit and the combination of the rough and smooth adds another dimension to the design.
Use your imagination and apply this concept to any of your ideas. Remember to have fun and let your creative juices flow.
The twenty-first of April marked the opening
of the fifth Concourse of Floral Design in
Genoa, Italy, held at the Ducale Palace.
Laurie Apple represented The GCA in the
Imposed Class, known on this side of the
pond as the Challenge Class. These are her
pictures:
Gin Ribaudi and Loly Marsano did the special
exhibits. They were the instructors of the
two-day workshop held in conjunction
with the show, entitled "To invent and
to Construct." In addition, they were the
FASG instructors for the workshops held in
Natchez, Mississippi.
Fiori SullaCitta
"Flowers on The City"Genoa, Italy 2006
Best in Show
Imposed Class, First Place
Class IV From The Kitchen of Martha Stewart: A Good Thing
“How did we get this idea?”by Elaine Buss and Ellen Avellino, Green Fingers Garden Club
After many false starts Elaine and Elllen decided upon an autumnal food recipe whose ingredients would form a topiary. They finally settled on the “golden” squash, a variety with deep curved ribs well scaled for the height of the steel frame. The squashwere threaded onto the spiraling frame, their rhythmic placement pulled the eye through the design. Ten squash were used in this composition.
Additional materials included the "Leonidas" rose, dried sponge mushroom, green/blue Hydrangea, purple Hydrangea, cinnamon bark
and peach Hypericum berries. The exposed steel was covered with honey colored wax sheeting* to emulate honey, drizzling down through the composition. A hair dryer was used to soften the wax. Flower tubes were covered with a golden mesh ribbon, and then, covered with more melted wax..To determine the most pleasing overall height of the topiary, the Fibonacci proportion of three, five, eight or the Golden Triangle, was applied-three to the width of the pedestal top, five to the height of the standard from the pedestal top, and five
to the diagonal created by all components including the “twists” on the spiral. With the smooth and glassy squash skin juxtaposed next to the rough patterned honeycomb and with the smoothness of the velvet rose to the roughness of the dried mushrooms, the collective elements achieved a richly textured composition with many contrasts, the most obvious being texture and form. In the end, the design had a great deal of movement and coloration. It was an instant eye-catcher.
*Source: Candlewick.com
by Liza Weihman, Greenwich Garden Club
Page 9Page 8
Historical Perspective
A look at floral design through history, as in all history, gives us a perspective on the way flowers are used today.
The first culture to have floral design documented is ancient Egypt. Renderings from tombs, pyramids, and sphinxes show flowers used in bowls, garlands, and wreaths. Columns and architectural details used palms, lotus, and rosettes for adornment.
Cleopatra and other Egyptian women, as they painted their eyes with kohl, also used flowers as a powerful means of seduction. Both Caesar and Mark Anthony were bathed in flowers as Cleopatra wooed them.
In ancient times, the desire for flowers in affluent society was exhibited in trade between nations.
The Egyptians exported flowers to Rome and Rome exported their famous roses to Egypt. In both nations, the fertile soil and advantageous growing climates made flower production possible. Often, however, the less fortunate citizens of both countries felt that growing flowers was frivolous when the fields could be put to better use growing grain and crops for the poor.
The style of ancient Egyptian floral design used flowers in precise regimented rows with clear colors-blue, green, yellow and brown-with no overlapping of blossoms, making a two dimensional appearance in designs.
Ancient Greeks primarily used flowers as adornment. They even strew them on the ground. White was a popular color as it represented purity.
The Romans used flowers in containers, as personal adornment, and strewn, their style being less regimented than the Egyptians, and less pristine than the Greeks.
During the declining years of the Roman Empire, Nero used extravagant excesses of flowers for his many parties and weddings, and had rose petals strewn over the sand as he walked the beaches of Naples. The Emperor Heliogabalus had so many canopies of petals strewn over his guests at a party that many of the attendees were smothered. Book of Flowers
Today, we see the influence of the ancient Greeks and Romans in the garlands of leaves and fruits in Williamsburg-style designs. Brides often have rose petals tossed upon them and their attendants wear chaplets or floral head wreaths.
Our doors have wreaths and the stairs have garlands at times of celebration.
The ancient Egyptian floral design influence is seen in today’s parallel designs.
The two dimensionality of Egyptian design is apparent in many contemporary fan designs.
