Garland (decoration)

Flower garland for a wedding
Garlands on Christmas tree
A garland is a decorative wreath or cord, used at festive occasions, which can be hung round a person's neck, or on inanimate objects likeChristmas trees. Originally garlands were made of flowers or leaves. In modern times, other materials have been used.
From the French "guirlande", itself from the Italian "ghirlanda", a braid.
flower garland (e.g. phuang malai, a Thai flower garland)
tinsel garland
pine garland
rope garland
popcorn and/or cranberry garland
bead garland
vine garland

A garland created from the daisy flower, generally as a children's game, is called a daisy chain. One method of creating a daisy chain is as follows: Daisies are picked and a hole is made towards the base of the stem, generally by piercing with fingernails or tying a knot. The stem of the next flower can be threaded through until stopped by the head of the flower. By repeating this with many daisies, it is possible to build up long chains and to form them into simple bracelets and necklaces.^[1]
There is another popular method which involves pressing the flower heads against each other, so that the final chain looks like a caterpillar.
The term "daisy chain", or "daisy chaining", can also refer to various technical and social "chains".
A daisy chain

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Posted by Anna-Marie Velasco.

Ikebana

September 4, 2009

Ikebana arrangement

A Japanese hanging scroll (kakemono) and Ikebana

Ikebana (生け花^?, "arranged flower"^[1]) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kadō (華道^?, the "way of flowers").

More than simply putting flowers in a container, ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together. Contrary to the idea of floral arrangement as a collection of particolored or multicolored arrangement of blooms, ikebana often emphasizes other areas of the ...

Posted by Anna-Marie Velasco.

Bouquet

September 4, 2009

An example of a cascading flower bouquet. The flowers cascade downward.
A flower bouquet is a collection of flowers in a creative arrangement. There are different kinds including nosegay, hand-tied, and cascading bouquets. Flower bouquets are often given for special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries. They are also used extensively in weddings. Traditionally thebride will hold the bouquet, and the Maid of Honor will hold it during the ceremony. After the wedding the bride will toss i...

Posted by Anna-Marie Velasco.

History of Flower Arrangement

September 4, 2009

The history of flower arrangement dates back to the ancient Egyptians.

The Ancient Egyptians

The earliest known practice of flower arranging dates back to ancient Egypt. In fact, historical records indicate that the Egyptians were decorating with flowers as early as 2,500 BCE This fact is illustrated with the carved stone reliefs that they left behind, as well as their painted wall decorations.

Historical records indicate that the ancient Egyptians regularly placed cut flowers in vases. In addit...

Posted by Anna-Marie Velasco.

Language of Flowers

September 4, 2009

Purple lilac symbolizes "first emotions of love" in the language of flowers.

The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. This language was most commonly communicated through Tussie-Mussies, an art which has a following today.

The nuances of the language are now mostly forgotten, but...

Posted by Anna-Marie Velasco.