Wired material should not make the design stiff and heavy.
All visible wires should be covered with tape. Green-coated wire does not need to be taped except where it is used as a mount and then only over the stem end. It is important when wiring to cover the stems with tape as quickly as possible in order to slow up the dehydration process.
In tied wedding work it is sometimes necessary to support wire a few of the longer trails. The wire should be unobtrusive and covered with tape where visible. When the work is completed the wires going through the tying point should be cut out and the ends pushed back into the tying point.
Although most funeral flowers in foam are not wired, the lateral and focal flowers may need support. Roses and carnations are very brittle and are thus vulnerable when handled, so it is a good idea to support wire some of the taller flowers, which can easily be knocked and damaged.
To test whether a flower is adequately supported for the purpose intended, hold the stem at the base. If it swings around, then the gauge is too fine. It is rigid with no movement, then the gauge is too heavy. There should be a degree of light, controlled movement.
- Internal - This is used on hollow-stemmed flowers and some freshy stems, for example, anemones, daffodils, gerbera. The wire is pushed up the stem on the inside until it bites onto the inside of the calyx.
- External - The wire is inserted into the calyx, carefully twisted round the base of the calyx and then brought down the stem. DO NOT twist to many times as this will make the flower rigid and heavy.
- Semi-internal - If the stem is fleshy, it is possible to support wire the top part internally and the lower half externally. This is done on such flowers as tulips, irises and gerbera when longer length is required. The wire should be inserted into the stem 10-12 cm below the calyx internally. The wire below the insertion point should be twisted down the outside of the stem. Some flowers can be internally wired for a short length and then, when a longer length is required, both internal and external methods can be used.
Hold the leaf with the underside uppermost. Using a good length of fine wire (size depends on the leaf thickness), take a small stitch through the fronth of the leaf over the main vein about a third down from the tip. Form a loop with the wire ends and twist them together at the base of the leaf to form a stem.
Some leaves are too fleshy to support wire in the normal way, and very quickly bruising appears. It is possible to tape wire onto the back of the leaf with sellotape or pot tape. This should be done as unobstrusively as possible.
If the mount is for funeral work or a flower arrangement, then the base of the stem does not need to be covered in tape as the stem will be able to take moisture out of the foam, but if it is to be used for wedding work then the stem must be sealed with tape to retain the moisture. In wired wedding work the taped wires are put together at the binding point and the rest of the wire forms the handle, which is part of the design.
Using 0.28 mm green reel wire, wind carefully down the stem from the top bud to the largest bud. To form a false leg, push a 0.56 mm or 0.71 mm wire into the base and tape firmly.
Tape the tip of a 0.28 mm wire to form a little ball. Push the untaped end through the top of the flower and pull gently down to form a false stem. Then carefully tape from the base of the flower to end of the wire.
Fruits and Nuts_________________________________________________________________________________
The use of fruits and nuts in floristry adds a great deal of interest and individuality to a piece of work. For instance, a wired Victorian posy, corsage, wedding bouquet, flower arrangement and festive garlands can all be made to look unusual or special by the thoughtful use of a few nuts, berries or fruits within the design. These material must be support wired to provide a sufficiently long stem to insert in the design and to ensure that the material remains secure during its use.
Fruit and berries should rarely be left on their natural stems, especially for fine delicate work. Not only are the stems too thick or woody to include in the construction but also most fruits and berries have a tendency to fall off their branches when they dry out in a warm atmosphere.
There arr three sizes of German pins, which are sold by the box: