Types of flower bouquet

There are so many terms, name for the same thing, and slight differences which make this tricky to understand when working as a florist or trying to explain which bouquet you’d like to order.

Hopefully this handy and quick guide will help to point you in the right direction when hearing the names of different bouquets.


Spiral / Hand Tied

These are created using a circular ‘spiral’ motion.

Typically a central flower, or stem of foliage, is selected and the rest of the material is placed at an angle around the centre point.

By maintaining the same direction, the stems wont criss cross, and the bouquet can sometimes stand up fully unassisted depending on the type of flowers used.

This is one of the most common techniques used for making bouquets.

Posey

Whilst the history of the posey is quite complicated, it’s typically a much smaller bunch, easily held in one hand.

Typically these are used for children in a wedding party or for a delicate softly scooped bouquet.

Sheaf

A common choice for sympathy flowers, as a sheaf is flat backed, with all the flowers facing upwards.

How raised, textured and voluminous the bouquet becomes is up to the florist and type of materials chosen.

They can also be used for celebrations and presentation flowers.

Asymetric

A popular choice for bridal bouquets.

Asymetric bouquets lend themselves well to British seasonal ‘wonky’ stems.

It allows the foliage and florals to decide the shape, and it will never be the same as another bouquet.

Random pops of height, colour and texture allow the bouquet to look more natural than some of the other forced styles of bouquet.

Round / Dome

Similar to the hand tied bouquet, but with a graduated curve to the flowers to create a domed shape.

Whilst traditional styles might be quite rigid and symmetrical, it is possible to create this style in a loose and relaxed manner.

Lending itself well to British and natural wildflower materials.

Cascading / Shower / Waterfall

A tapered, trailing outline.

How extreme is up to the florist, flowers and foliage, but jasmine, clematis and other trailing plants lend themselves well for this shape.

Typically, the bouquet remains heavy at the top and reduces as it descends down.

Previous
Previous

Sustainability Series 04: Flower Vase Life

Next
Next

Creating Bryonia’s Vessels