History of flower arrangement

They regularly placed cut flowers in vases,[1] and highly stylized arrangements were used during burials, for processions, and simply as table decorations.

The lotus flower or water lily, for example, Iris sibirica, delphinium, narcissus, palm tree, papyrus and rose.

[2] These are also included in the arrangements blue scilla, poppy-flowered anemone, and Iris sibiric .Egyptian wall paintings have been found in tombs dating from the fifth century B.C.

The most popular foliage used by the Greeks and the Romans were acorns, oak leaves, laurel, ivy, bay[4] and parsley.

Wealth and power led the Romans and Greeks to the greater luxury in the use of flowers which, like the Egyptian, were used in religious rites.

The Chinese were making flower arrangements as far back as 207 BCE to 220 CE, in the Han era of ancient China.

Practitioners of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism placed cut flowers on their altars, a practice which dates back to 618-906 CE.

Ribbons were also commonly used, and leaves and tiny flowers were set in arching lines to give a twisted effect to garlands.

An important aspect of the monastery plan was to include a medicinal herb garden, which would “furnish the physician with the pharmaceutical products needed for his cures.

In the paintings, fruit blossoms and leaves were woven into garlands to decorate walls and vaulted ceilings, and petals were piled into baskets or strewn on the floors, streets, or allowed to float down from balconies.

By the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, flower arrangements were commonplace and a wide variety of materials were used to make containers, including marble, heavy Venetian glass, and bronze.

Some of the popular flowers included the Lilium Candidum (or Madonna Lily, used as a symbol for fertility and chastity), narcissus, pinks, iris, jasmine, pansies, French marigolds, cornflowers, and rosemary.

The typical empire design would be arranged in an urn containing an abundance of large richly colored flowers.

At the end of the period the designs became more informal due to the fact that the fragrance of the flowers, which were believed to rid the air of diseases, became more important.

Small, handheld arrangements called nosegays or tussie-mussies were used to carry sweet scents, and also helped mask the odors of society where bathing was often believed to be unhealthy.

At the end of this period attempts were made to set up rules for a proper arranging of flowers, which is when it became an artful skill or profession in Europe.