History of Floral Design

Every year on the last day of February (the 28th) we celebrate Floral Design Day, specifically set aside to recognize the creativity, innovation, ingenuity, and imaginative abilities of floral designers everywhere.

To honor the day, we're doing a quick look-back over the history of floral design, and the most important developments in the industry.

Egyptian Period (2800 B.C. to 28 B.C.)

> Flowers used as temple offerings, table centerpieces for banquets, or garlands and wreaths
> Common flowers: roses, poppies, and lotus blossoms
> Simplistic style we might call minimalism (clean lines, not a lot of clutter or clusters)

Greek Period (600 to 150 B.C.)

> Flowers used as adornments in garlands and wreaths
> Sometimes scattered on ground for ceremonies or events
> Common flowers: roses, hyacinth, iris, and lilies
> Cornucopia introduced, often shown with flowers spilling out to represent fruitfulness
> Most popular design styles: triangular and symmetrical

Roman Period (28 B.C. to 325 A.D.)

> More elaborate (yet!) wreaths, crowns, and garlands
> Used cornucopias and baskets as containers
> Fragrance an important focus

Byzantine Period (320 to 600 A.D.)

> Added fruit to flower arrangements
> Popular containers: goblets or large baskets
> Often used either mainly warm or cool colored flowers with other accent colors (for example, blue and purple with orange or yellow)

Baroque Period (1600 to 1775 A.D.)

> Development of the Hogarth Curve, S-curve design with flowers, by William Hogarth, English painter

French Baroque and French Rococo (18th Century)

> Symmetrical designs and the topiary became popular
> Common design styles: crescent shape or arc

English Georgian Period (1714-1760)

> Flowers used for fragrance in small, cramped houses of the period
> Development of the nosegay (also called the tussy-mussy)

Victorian Period (1820-1901)

> Language of flowers (meanings according to color or type of flower)
> Lavish, even over-the-top, designs
> Common flowers: tulips, dahlias, anemones, asters, and especially roses.

Colonial Williamsburg (1740-1780)

> Mixed floral bouquets
> Garden flowers (anemones, roses, lilies, tulips, daisies, sunflowers, snapdragons)
> Fan-shaped styles
> Fine, feathery material (grasses and foliage) used as finishing accents around the design
> Dried flowers and other materials used during fall and winter months

Modern Period (1910 to Present)

> Combination of European massed design style and Oriental line design
> Development of flower shows
> Popularity of "Dutch Style" (naturalistic garden-style design with parallel lines)
> Popularity of hand-tied bouquets with tropical flowers and other mixed blooms

Thanks to Serenity Stitchworks for its extensive research on the history of floral design.