Sustainable floristry mechanics
Below I will discuss the top 10 sustainable floristry mechanics I use in my floristry. I feel these mechanics are vital if we are to have a better impact on the environment as a whole.
Chicken wire sausage, with creamic pots for water. Photo taken by myself.
Chicken wire ‘8’. One piece of chicken wire folded on itself to create 3 layers for stems. Photo taken by myself.
Chicken wire ball armature. Used for a base for a bridal bouquet. Photo taken by myself.
1. Chicken wire – This wire is so versatile it can be used in many ways, from being balled or folded up into layers and placed inside a vessel to being rolled into a certain shape for an installation. It can be used time and time again and salvaged from each installation no matter how big or small, creating unlimited posibilities.
Varying sizes of flower frogs/kenzen. Photo taken from frenchgardenhouse.com.
2. Flower frog/Kenzen/Pin holder – These holders provide a bit of weight to the bottom of the vessel. Their main purpose though is to provide a surface to stcik flower stems into, holding them up. This means that very shallow vessels can be used. The origin of use comes from the Japanese flower arranging technique, Ikebana.
Branches secured with paper covered wire. They can be secured with jute instead. Photo taken by myself.
Branches arranged in a criss-cross pattern. Placed ontop of a bowl creates a grid structure for stems to be placed and held. Photot taken by myself.
3. Foraged branches – These can be from anywhere and picked pretty easily from under trees. Once placed together in a criss cross fashion and fastened with jute or wire they can act in a very similar way to the chicken wire. These can also be used over and over again, they just need a period of time in between uses to dryout fully to minimise rotting as they are nautral.
Various colours of jute string. Image taken from communitycraftsUK etsy shop.
4. Jute string – Used in so many ways this string is so versatile and strong I use it for anything from securing my hand tied bouquets to tieing large installations together. You won’t even know it’s there especially if used in large installations.
Welsh moss, sphagnum moss. Image taken from welshmoss.com.
5. Moss – Moss can be used decoratively or it can go completely unseen, used in the background. Moss is also very versatile and can be used for covering up mechanics. It can also be used to provide a water source for arrangments without a vessel that holds water. It is widely used for wreaths and sympathy work.
Water tubes also known as water picks. Picture taken from wholesaleflowersandsupplies.com.
6. Water tubes – These are very handy little tools to provide a small water source to singular or multiple stems. They allow for greater creative freedom within a display. They allow stems to be placed where there isn’t a main water source. These come in various sizes and are commonly used for stems that don’t like being without a water source.
Palm leaf tray, completely biodegradeable. Image taken from ecoleafproducts.co.uk.
7. Palm leaf trays – These trays provide a nice eco-friendly alternative to plastic for sympathy work. They allow the designs to be front and center. Moss can be placed on top of them and secured with jute string. This means the displays can be left grave side without the worry of leaving plastic waste behind. A lot of graveyards and ceremetoriums are moving towards this as it is much more environmentally friendly.
Grave spikes placed within thin branches surrounding a metal pole. Photo taken by myself.
8. Grave spikes – These are commonly used at the graveside to provide a water source for flowers traditionally. However, in a florists toolbox they can be placed into mechanics for an installation to provide water to the flowers used. They are useful as they come in varying sizes similar to the water tubes.
9. Thin foraged branches – These branches are useful to create a grid to place foliage, and any other sustainable mechanics being used, into. As seen in the image above with the grave spikes. They can be secured tightly with velcro strapping.
Velcro strapping by the company onewrap. Image taken from ebay.
10. Velcro strapping – This is so versatile and is a great alternative to cable ties. It can be pulled really tight and hold a lot of weight when secured properly. It can be used to secure grave spikes, cages and more.
As you can see there are various different ways of being sustainable in the floristry industry. We need to start to take a stand against single use plastics and only employ their use if we can re-use them time and time again. Producing floral displays that are completely biodegradeable is much kinder to the environment.
