Gregor Lersch

Gregor Lersch is a Master Florist from Germany. Gregor has worked to date in 32 countries around the world and is thus one of the few performers in the world of floral arrangement with such a penetration. His visually stunning flower arrangements were represented in nearly every corner of the globe.

Gregor started his professional career in 1974. In 1978, he won the European Cup in Rome (the first German success in this international competition). Since then he actively participate in various federal garden shows, competitions and floral shows and won seven great gold medals, more than 30 gold medals, 22 silver and some bronze.

The horticultural origin of his family is the root of his creativity. For 140 years, and already the fifth generation of the family Lersch is dedicated to nature and its design.

The plant is at the center of his thought. It is for Gregor Lersch “first life force” in the world. Only when plants, animals and man in harmony with each other, everything has its continued existence. Gregor Lersch is concerned with the plant in all elements and stages of their existence.

His main idea is to involve the flow of the Zeitgeist Floristry: define, continuously renew and change its expression.

Seminars, workshops, exhibitions are substantial part of Gregor’s activities. He also involved in a large range of stage presentations, book publications and press-media work.

To learn more about flower design, visit my site Flower Decorations.

Design by Klaus Wagener

Klaus was born in 1958 in a family of florists. He became a German Champion in 1984 and the World Champion in 1985 in Detroit. It is interesting to note that until now no other German Florist achieved this title.

“As an avid florist, it goes without saying: I love flowers and plants. In their diversity they offer me as a designer virtually unlimited design possibilities. In the creative engagement with flowers and plants I could and can continue to develop. Over the years, they developed and open up my still new and fascinating dimensions of design – one of them is the influence of fashion and zeitgeist constantly changing interior. Into it to create contemporary floral is a constant, exciting job.

Personally I would not let me down to one style. I find it to be very important to consider and develop it as a quality, for a variety of topics and requirements floristic solutions. Finally, the people we work for all different. They expect from florists and designers floristic-tailored, individual ideas. The constantly changing lifestyle, tastes changed – my own predilections are no exception. But it’s also less to my taste. I am always anxious to figure out which florist for any purpose, which is for people and environment for which the best matching. Masterfully what is a perfect fit. “

Klaus is actively involved in seminars, workshops, exhibitions. Stage presentations, book publications, magazine (he publishes “Bloom” magazine) and press-media work are also a big part of Klaus’ activities.

Next time we will talk about another great florist and teacher, Gregor Lersch. To learn more about flower design, visit my site Flower Decorations.

Peter Hess

Born in 1948, Peter Hess is a florist, floral designer, welder, vegetation sculptor, and flower arranger in the 4th generation. He works and lives in Allschwil, Switzerland.

Starting since 1969, when he won Junior champion Regio-Cup Switzerland, France, Germany, Peter is one of the most influential and style-setting European flower designers. Since then he taught thousands flower arrangers around the globe and inspired millions with his unique and inspiring creations. He has a distinct earth-oriented, environmental friendly approach to design. His works are inspirational, imaginative, and visionary.

Peter is a founder of atelier5, a florist school and a centre for creative and experimental vegetation design. In the beginning, his “Florist school” was known in Switzerland only. Then it was followed by neighboring countries: Italy, France, Austria and Germany. Later Slovenia, Spain, Portugal and Hungary joined. Nowadays atelier5 is known worldwide. Peter also teaches and provides master-classes om flower arrangement in other floral schools, including “Nicole” in Moscow.

Peter is a worldwide leader in Landart – creating art with nothing else but what nature offers. The artist arrives at an area usually unknown to him, doesn’t know what to expect and which materials he will be able to find. Landart means, to create a work of art from what the environment offers, something that can be only available in this place. The aim is to integrate the artwork in its surroundings and follow the lead of the landscape.

Peter is the initiator of annual Landart Festival in Grindenwald, Switzerland. Since 1999 using nothing but natural materials founds in the area, teams-of-two from different nations (Swiss, Canada, Russia, Germany and other countries) create sculptures and creations in wildly-romantic surroundings of Swiss Alps. After a week of creative work transitory works of art are exhibited in the countryside and judged by a specialist jury.

Inspiring and spontaneous, Peter Hess is one of the most visionary contemporary European floral designers. His works are always astonishing, fascinating and influential.

In the next article I will talk about Klaus Wagener. To learn more about flower design visit my website Flower Decorations.

Mass arrangements are traditional for European flower arranging. Nevertheless, they are very popular in North America, too. Here, there are a few tips how to make the flower arrangement better.

1. Pay attention to the whole mass of flowers, rather than to individual ones. Mass arrangements have a thick, full look and require much plant material. The whole colorful mass of flowers and foliages is accentuated, rather than the individual flowers, leaves, or branches.

2. Experiment with shapes. Mass arrangements may be of many shapes, including triangles, domes, crescents, ovals, and circles. Ovals and triangles are good shapes because the height and width are not the same. A flower arrangement may be made to be viewed from a single side only, or finished all around so that it becomes free-standing and may be seen from any position. A center of interest containing a focal point which attracts the attention is frequently developed.

3. Pick colors properly. Color is considered the most significant element in mass arrangements. Three or more types or colors of flowers are usually combined with one or more types of leaves. Usually it is advisable to pick more of one kind and color and less of the others. The plant materials are grouped together by kind. Then, the groups are mixed together. Choose colors that balance with one another and with the place, where the arrangement is to be used.

4. Play with flower shapes. A variety of flower sizes, textures, or shapes is necessary. Even though round or spray-shaped flowers typically dominate, spiky shapes work for triangular arrangements. When using round flowers, let the ones at the top face up, those in the bottom face a little bit down, some face right, some left, and those in the middle face out. Even though, the stems are not normally seen, all should extend or seem to radiate from the focal point.

5. Depth is crucial. Good development of depth is important. Allow some material to extend over the edge of the container. “Bury” certain flowers behind others to lead the eye into the arrangement. Plan spaces around the edges to give airiness. Avoid a flat, pressed appearance by opening up gaps among the flowers. Leaves coming out between the flowers leads the eye in and out of the flower arrangement.

6. Select a container properly. Floral foams make excellent holders for mass arrangements. Chicken wire is also suitable for vases or deep bowls and for heavy flowers with large stalks. Urns, compotes, goblets, vases, and medium-to-deep bowls are the best containers for mass arrangements.

7. Experiment with stylized arrangement. Stylized mass arrangements vary from the traditional ones by being more clean-cut, precise, and geometrical. Select three or more kinds and colors of flowers and foliages; you will need at least a few flowers of each. Instead of blending each kind and color, split them to develop well-defined placements. Commonly a center of interest with a focal point is carefully planned and developed.

Following these guidelines you can improve the quality of your flower arrangement. And remember, a good flower arrangement is a matter of practicing.

In the next article I will start talking about famous European flower designers.  To learn more about flower design and see my flower arrangements visit my website Flower Decorations.

Line-mass arrangements combine the strong line of Japanese styles with the massed effect of European floral designs. This style of flower arranging, created in the United States, is usually referred to as Contemporary American.

Line-mass arrangements usually have a neat, clean look with definite line, a well-defined mass, and a lot of open spaces. Usually strong lines are established in the upper section by spikes or spike-like flowers or foliage, or by leafy or bare branches. Roundish flowers are placed where the lines meet and between the lines to give a strong but clean-cut massed effect in the lower part. Here, there are some ideas how to make your flower arrangement much better.

1. Make a decision: line vs. mass. You will need to decide whether to emphasize the line or the mass. They should not be identical in dimension, area, or weight. Highlight the line material if it is of particular interest. Display the mass material if it is more attractive in color or texture. If mass is accentuated, the result is a massed-line arrangement.

2. Combine the line and mass. Regardless which portion dominates, the line and mass must usually blend into one whole. Cluster the kinds and colors of materials, then blend the groups. The line material penetrates and dissolves into the mass material. Some of the mass material is brought up to blend with the main line. The main line thus extends down into and through the mass, comes out at the edge of the container, and frequently extends over and above to cover it partially. The result is a solid unifying rhythm which leads the eye effortlessly through the arrangement. However sometimes the arranger may purposely separate two kinds of quite different materials to produce an arrangement with striking contrast.

3. Pick a shape. Line-mass arrangements are often triangular in shape, mostly irregular in balance, and meant to be viewed from the front side only. They normally are vibrant and striking in design, and quite often have a strong center of interest.

4. Components and colors. No less than two kinds of materials are required – one for line and one for mass. Sometimes more than two types are used, but a wide range of different kinds and colors should be avoided as they produce an excessively massed and cluttered outcome. A second mass material may be selected just to develop the center of attention. Foliage is often used to provide variety, continuity, and transition between the different kinds of materials. When placed at the back, foliage adds finish and depth to the arrangement.

5. Use proper containers. Floral foams or pinpoints are recommended for the line-mass designs. Low bowls, compotes, pedestal bowls, goblets, and medium-tall vases with simple shapes are ideal containers.

6. Play with stylized design. Stylized line-mass arrangements have a less natural design. The arranger sets up the materials with little thought of suggesting their natural growth habit to produce a clean-cut, precise, customised, and rather streamlined geometric arrangement.

7. Experiment with natural design. Natural line-mass arrangements use plant materials in a design suggestive of the way they grow. Linear pussy willow stems and roundish daffodils might be mixed to make a typical natural line-mass arrangement.

By following these suggestions you can improve the quality of your flower arrangement. And remember, a good flower arrangement is a matter of practicing. So, keep practicing.

In the next article I will talk about traditional European flower arrangements.  To learn more about flower design and see my flower arrangements visit my website Flower Decorations.

Historically American flower arranging evolved from European tradition. American style split appart from European school early in the ninetinth century. In the twentieth century, it was strongly influenced by Oriental (Japanese) tradition.

Traditionally it is thought that Oriental style of flower arrangement is  characterized by a “line arrangement” (with emphasis on position of each flower) and European style can be considered as a “mass arrangement” with generally large, round or oval mass of flowers. Flower placement in mass arrangement is not rigidly dictated as in Oriental design.

Modern American flower design is somewhere in between. Most floral arrangement styles in North America are referred to as “line mass” and combine European and Oriental concepts. In particular, American flower arrangement is often built around linear patterns and uses more materials than the Oriental but far less than the European. For example, a popular style, Western Line, is a contemporary linear flower arrangement, which emphasizes line and visual movement.

However, modern European flower arranging deviated significantly from traditional mass arrangement (e.g. Cascade/Waterfall or Biedermeier- a design in which pavé techniques are used to create concentric rings of flowers arranged in a compact, rounded or slightly conical shape).

Contemporary European masters offer visually dazzling concepts: abstract, parallel, panel, naturalistic/botanical flower arrangements. They offer free form, free style designs that capture imagination. Every year more daring styles have been emerging, offering many creative possibilities, where flowers are used in a bizarre, unexpected way, i.e., upside down.

From that perspective, the American style is quite conservative. So, if you look for out of the box solution, consider hiring European-trained florists. They are more flexible, usually have broader skills and can offer nontraditional, visually stunning, stay-above-the-crowd designs.

In the next article I will talk about some tips for traditional American flower arrengement. To learn more about flower design visit my website Flower Decorations.

In the first article I will discuss difference between European and American flower arranging schools.

To learn more about flower design visit my site Flower Decorations.