Tips for wiring and taping flowers

When it comes to arranging fresh flowers, there are a few important tricks to learn. One of the most important of which is learning how to attach an artificial stem. Both wiring and taping are important skills that you will need in order to create beautiful bouquets. It’s important to remember that when you create artificial stems, the flowers will no longer be able to absorb water. This means that this technique should only be used when you create such arrangements as boutonnières, corsages, and other mini flower arrangements.

To begin, you will need to choose the right wire. There are different gauges and they each have their own purpose. It’s also good to note that different flowers are shaped differently and, therefore, they will each require their own special technique.

With round flowers like carnations, you can begin by trimming the stems so tht they are under an inch long. Pierce the base of the flower with the wire and make sure it goes all the way through from one side to the other. Then bend the wire around so that both ends of the wire are parallel with the stem.

As for flat flowers, such as chrysanthemums, you will need to create a kind of wire hairpin before piercing the flower from above. Pull both ends of the wire through so that they are parallel with the stem and remember not to pull too hard or it will come all the way through and break the flower. Just make sure that you cannot see the wire in the middle of the flower.

Smaller blooms like baby’s breath need to be cut into smaller pieces. Select a small cluster of stems and clear the bottoms of any leaves or lower flowers. Wrap the wire around the mini bunch of stems and let the remaining wire run parallel with the stems.

Sometimes you can combine a few techiniques when working with difficult flowers. For instance, you can use the hairpin techinique and then wrap a piece of wire around the stem for added stability. Once your wires are in place, it’s time for some green floral tape. This tape is stretch and it sticks to itself. It is very easy to obtain great results with minimal effort. Start at the top of the stem and wrap all the way down to where the wire ends. Make sure that you overlap generously so that the tape does not come undone. This needs to be done for every flower individually before creating your bouquet.

Once your flowers and any foliage is prepard, you can then bundle them together and arrange them as you please. When you are happy with the design, simply use some more tape to hold them in place. You can also trim any excess wire so that they are all the same length.