The art of arranging flowers is a very old one, especially when you consider gardening and cultivation methods that date back centuries. Today, these arts are everywhere, in every florist shop and flower delivery. You can request any of the following special arrangements from a florist shop, but you might want to know something about them and their origins first.
1. Ikebana
Ikebana is the Japanese art of floral arrangements. The word itself is literally translated into "making living plants" or "making plants look alive." Flower arrangers have to take a special class on ikebana to learn this art form, and it produces some of the most striking arrangements you will ever see. Most recipients of an ikebana arrangement will just appreciate how lovely the arrangement is without ever knowing anything about its Japanese background. However, if you are really trying to impress a Japanese American or Japanese love interest, the ikebana arrangement will definitely impress him/her because you took the time to study something of Japanese culture.
2. Nosegay
A nosegay is a delightful little bouquet, often comprised of miniature versions of many larger flowers and mingled with baby's breath or ivy. It originates in England and France during the post-Renaissance period prior to the production of perfumes. There was no deodorant, and people rarely took baths (including royalty!). Ergo, you either changed your clothes a lot, or you carried a "nosegay" with you to smell instead of smelling the body odor and other foul smells in the air around you. This little bouquet kept your nose gay (i.e., happy) because you did not smell anything else, and that is how the name originated. Today, you can request that these small, delightful bouquets be made up for a ladies' luncheon or tea, or presented to small children of little means to give their mothers on Mother's Day.
3. Horseshoe Rings
These inverted horseshoe-shaped arrangements were originally invented to "crown" a champion horse after a major race. They had to fit around a horse's neck and be really beautiful and a little ostentatious, given the occasion. Today, you can order these special arrangements as funeral flowers, either to place on a floral display easel near the deceased's coffin/casket at a wake or around the deceased's grave marker after burial. They are particularly popular on or around Memorial Day, when people frequently decorate the graves of fallen soldiers and loved ones with fresh flowers.
For more information, contact a company like Pamela's Flowers.
