The rule: 3 focal, 5 greenery, 8 filler
Every trade has a recipe it pretends is a law. Floristry's is 3-5-8: roughly three focal flowers, five stems of greenery, eight filler stems, and an arrangement tends to come out balanced and full.
The ranked companion piece: the longest-lasting cut flowers.
The focals are the faces
The focals are the faces (roses, lilies, peonies).
Greenery: the structure nobody notices until it's missing
The greenery is the structure nobody notices until it's missing.
Filler: the texture that makes the focals look expensive
The filler is the texture that makes the focals look expensive. Designers break the rule constantly, on purpose, which is what rules in a craft are for. Knowing when to break them is the craft of floristry.
Why one $100 arrangement looks twice the price of another
When you are standing in our shop wondering why one $100 arrangement looks twice the price of another, the answer is usually ratio: somebody respected the skeleton, then had the nerve to adjust it. Order Designer's Choice and you are paying for exactly that judgment.
That judgment is what Designer's Choice buys: set a budget and let the designer work.
Related reading: what a flower arrangement costs · the short version in our FAQs
