Skills in business, sales, and personnel management are not required for those pursuing a career in the floral industry.

Professional or trade associations are special interest organizations who serve to promote a positive image for the floral industry and provide training and education for their members.

Professional florists� associations are not a necessary part of the floral industry.

Designing with fresh-cut floral materials involves the use of chemical products.

Safety concerns are an important consideration when working in floral design and the floriculture industry.

Ancient civilizations including Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and the Flemish influenced the art of floral design in their uses and arrangement of floral materials.

The cultures of the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans used flowers primarily for religious and civic events to honor gods and heroes.

The Greeks arranged their floral decorations in upright cornucopias delivering them as offerings and gifts.

During the Middle Ages, wreaths and garlands served as decoration and personal adornment.

Many of the symbolic traditions associated with flowers began during the Victorian Period.

Floral design was taught and recognized as a professional art during the Victorian Period.

Form is the actual shape of an individual component of a composition.

Floral designers group flowers and foliages according to their shapes and forms.

Line materials create the framework of a design while mass materials define the focal area.

Before choosing specific flowers and foliage for a floral design, a designer must consider the function and purpose of the material within the arrangement.

Curvilinear line is a line consisting of bends and arcs that flows in more than one direction.

A perfect, complete flower consists of four basic parts: calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil.

During the many stages of the care and handling of cut flowers, proper treatments are necessary to maintain the quality and longevity of the floral materials.

Every flower consists of four basic parts: calyx, corolla, stamen, and pistil.

Flower inflorescence is the arrangement of flowers on a stem.

Two basic classifications of foliage are simple and complex.

Temperature has a major effect on the transpiration and respiration rates of cut floral materials.

Ethanol is a gas produced naturally by flowers, decaying plant materials, and ripening fruit.

Moisture, balance, floral preservative availability, temperature, relative humidity, ethylene, and microbial activity are factors important in maintaining the quality of cut flower material.

Transpiration and respiration affect the vase life or longevity of cut floral materials.

The botanical name is the scientific name of a plant or flower that consists of two parts: the genus name and the species name.

A hydrating solution consists of a nitric acid solution that causes flowers to take up water rapidly; thus reducing the stress of prolonged dehydration due to dry-pack shipping and storage.

The cell process in which stored food reserves are converted into useful energy for a plant is called respiration.

Transpiration is the process of plants losing water through the stomata in their leaves.

The process of holding flowers at room temperature to take up water and ensure maximum turgidity is called care and handling.

Biocide is a chemical compound used as an additive in long-term floral preservatives to prevent growth of bacteria, yeast, and molds in vase water.

Acidifier is any substance (i.e., nitric acid) that lowers the pH of a solution and thereby increases its acidity.

A controlled environment inside the floral cooler reduces transpiration, slows respiration, and reduces ethylene gas production and its effects on the cut flowers.

The primary principles of design are guidelines that govern the organization of the elements and materials in accordance with the laws of nature.

Balance, proportion, dominance, contrast, rhythm, and harmony are the primary principles of design.

A symmetrically balanced arrangement has equal amounts of identical materials on either side of an imaginary central vertical axis.

�Formal� balance is also referred to as asymmetrical balance.

The area of strong visual appeal and dominance in an arrangement is the focal area or focal point.

The relationship in size and quantity between the parts within an arrangement is scale.

Without Dominance, a lack of unity exists throughout the arrangement.

A contemporary design often features several focal areas.

Contrast in a floral arrangement adds visual weight through contradiction.

Rhythm uses form, line, color, and space to develop the sense of motion that leads the eye to the focal area and throughout the design.

On the color wheel, complementary color schemes of red and green, or violet and yellow, provide contrast, excitement, and interest.

Radiating lines originating from the focal point of an arrangement create a focal area.

Harmony is the carefully blending of textures, shapes, and colors in a floral arrangement.

The foundation of design is the combination of the traditional elements of design plus two additional contemporary design elements of pattern and size.

Line allows the eye to travel from one part of the design to another.

Unity in an arrangement occurs when most of the principles and elements blend together.

Texture is the visual and tactile surface qualities of an object.

Form is the overall three-dimensional external shape of a design.

Pattern is the positive space with an arrangement.

Color is the reflection of light from a pigmented surface transmitted to the brain by the eyes.

A hue is the descriptive name of a color.

Value is the lightness or darkness of a hue achieved by adding white, gray, or brown.

The three primary colors are: red, yellow, and blue.

Secondary colors occur equal distance from each other on the color wheel.

An analogous color harmony consists of unrelated colors that are adjacent on the color wheel.

Color creates moods and evokes emotions and may possibly be the most important element in floral design.

Lighting has an effect on color expressions making it important when planning weddings and evening events.

Selecting an appropriate container and using proper design mechanics are very important in establishing a stable foundation for a floral arrangement.

The rule of proportion suggests that the height of an arrangement not exceed 1 � to 2 times the height of a tall container or 1 � times the width of a low container.

When preparing floral foam for an arrangement, force water into the foam for quick saturation.

Wire gauges are used to indicate the thickness or a wire. The larger the number, the thicker the wire diameter.

Liquid floral adhesives are primarily used for silk and dried flower arrangements.

A floral knife is the most important tool used by a floral designer.

�Decorative botanicals� is the current term used in the floral industry to describe non-fresh floral materials used to create long-lasting floral arrangements.

When constructing a hand-tied bouquet, the binding point is located between the thumb and four fingers.

The elements and principles of design for arranging fresh cut flowers also apply to corsage and boutonniere construction.

A spray or dip that slows the water loss from flowers is an anti-transpirant.

When pierced by wire, fresh-cut floral materials are not harmed.

Properly processed flowers with sturdy stems usually do not require wiring.

Christmas is the longest floral holiday, with Valentine the single busiest holiday.

The manager of the floral business is the key to keeping the business running smoothly, efficiently and continually evaluating the operating efficiency of the business.