Floristry glossary
31 floristry terms explained in plain language, each with its Chinese equivalent: design roles, ikebana vocabulary, mechanics, conditioning and pricing.
- Anther
- The pollen-bearing tip of the stamen. Florists remove lily anthers to stop pollen staining clothes.
- Bent neck
- A rose head that droops just below the bloom, usually from an air block in the stem. Recut and stand deep in warm water.
- Biedermeier
- A classic round European bouquet of tightly packed blooms in concentric rings, usually finished with a foliage collar.
- Botrytis
- A grey mould that spots and rots petals kept wet or crowded. Keep petals dry and give the flowers air.
- Conditioning
- Preparing stems before arranging: recut, strip the lower leaves, and let them drink in clean water with flower food for a few hours in a cool place.
- Ethylene
- A gas given off by ripening fruit, fading flowers and exhaust. It makes sensitive flowers drop petals and wilt early.
- Filler flower
- Small or clustered blooms that fill gaps and soften the transition between focal flowers and foliage.
- Floral foam
- A water-absorbing block that holds stems at any angle. Convenient, but single-use plastic; many designers now prefer reusable mechanics.
- Flower food
- A sachet mix of sugar for energy, an acidifier that helps water uptake and a biocide that keeps bacteria down.
- Focal flower
- The largest, most eye-catching blooms that set the theme of a design. Designers usually keep to three kinds or fewer.
- Foliage
- Leaves and greenery that frame a design, hide the mechanics and define its outline.
- Forcing
- Bringing branches cut in bud into warmth so they flower early indoors — forsythia, plum, peach, cherry.
- Geotropism
- The tendency of spikes such as snapdragon and gladiolus to bend upward when laid flat — store them upright.
- Guard petals
- The tough outer petals of a rose that protected the bud. Bruised ones are peeled off; healthy ones can stay.
- Hand-tied bouquet
- A bouquet assembled in the hand and tied at one binding point, so it can stand in a vase without rearranging.
- Ikebana (kado)
- The Japanese art of arranging flowers, organised into schools such as Ikenobo, Ohara and Sogetsu, each with its own forms.
- Kenzan
- A heavy metal base studded with upright pins that holds stems in a shallow container.
- Line flower
- Tall spikes or branches that establish height, width and direction — delphinium, snapdragon, gladiolus.
- Ma (negative space)
- The deliberate empty space in East Asian arranging; what is left out matters as much as what is placed.
- Margin
- Profit divided by selling price. A 3× markup is a 67% margin on materials.
- Markup
- Selling price divided by cost. A 3× markup means a stem that costs 1 sells for 3.
- Mechanics
- Whatever holds the stems in place: a kenzan, a grid of tape, chicken wire, foam, or the spiral of a hand-tied bouquet.
- Moribana
- The "piled-up flowers" style created by the Ohara school: a low, wide arrangement in a shallow container with visible water.
- Production sheet
- The working document for making a design: recipe, container, mechanics, stem lengths and assembly order.
- Recipe
- The exact list of stems, by kind and count, that goes into one design.
- Rikka
- The oldest formal Ikenobo style: a tall, upright composition that represents a natural landscape.
- Shin, soe, tai
- The three main lines of a classical ikebana arrangement, traditionally in heights of roughly 7 : 5 : 3.
- Shoka
- A simpler Ikenobo style built on three main lines — shin, soe and tai — rising from a single point.
- Spiral technique
- Laying each stem at the same angle around the binding point so the stems fan out like a spiral and the bouquet stands on its own.
- Suiban
- The shallow, wide container used for moribana.
- Vase life
- How many days a cut stem stays presentable in water. It depends on variety, origin, and above all conditioning and clean water.
Floral design styles compared · Cut flower care and conditioning guide · Flower arrangement checklist before delivery · How florists price arrangements: cost, markup and margin
FAQ
What does conditioning flowers mean?
Preparing stems before arranging: recut, strip the lower leaves, and let them drink in clean water with flower food for a few hours in a cool place.
What is a kenzan in floristry?
A heavy metal base studded with upright pins that holds stems in a shallow container.
What is a focal flower in floristry?
The largest, most eye-catching blooms that set the theme of a design. Designers usually keep to three kinds or fewer.
What is ethylene and why does it matter for flowers?
A gas given off by ripening fruit, fading flowers and exhaust. It makes sensitive flowers drop petals and wilt early.