Fresh flower arrangements are a part of every occasion – from happy celebrations to sad events. While several contemporary cultures include flowers on every occasion, the practice of doing so is not new. The history of flowers used for decoration dates way back to Egyptian times, that is, as early as 2800 B.C. Flower bunches and flowering plants have been used in different styles for events in history. 

Let’s walk you through the timeline of floral designs to see how modern-day flower arrangements came into being.

History of Floral Designs

As we mentioned, the use of flowers dates back to the Egyptian era. Later, the development happened as Greeks and Romans started including floral designs in their celebrations and ceremonies. 

Here’s the timeline of flower designs – how the designs transformed over different periods.

• Egyptian Period

Ancient Egyptians used flowers like Lotus in temples as offerings. Further, Egyptian floral arrangements were used as centerpieces in banquets. Egyptian floral designs also included weaving flowers like violets and jasmines into garlands to show off wealth. 

• Greek & Roman Period

Greeks, like the Egyptians, used flowers for religious ceremonies. They created garlands, wreaths, and laurels. Most of the Greek floral arrangements followed a triangular pattern. They used white blossoms a lot to symbolize purity. The Romans continued with the Greeks’ use of flowers. Roman floral arrangements were used in their traditions and customs. 

However, Roman floral designs were more elaborate than Greeks. They used magnificent crowns and flower wreaths. Also, Romans considered floral scents while making their arrangements.

• Byzantine period

In the Byzantine era, people used flowers inspired by Roman and Greek floral designs. But they started using fruits in flower wreaths for the first time. They also styled foliage in vases to represent harmony. 

• Middle Ages 

The use of flowers diminished in this era. Middle Ages floral design was limited to creating tapestries. This led to the creation of Millefleur (meaning, a thousand flowers) – a line of cloth with flower designs.

• Renaissance Period

This period witnessed oriental styles and harmonious flower designs that included fruits and foliage. The designs of the renaissance period also led to the creation of Christmas wreaths.

• French Period

The French period featured remarkable styles of floral designs. There were simple arrangements, triangular designs, and arc-shaped designs too. The arc-shaped floral designs dominated the Baroque (Flemish) Period. The artists from this period preferred uneven designs. It was from this period that the Hogarth curve floral arrangement came into being. 

• Early American Period

The Early American period copied the designs of the French period and English Gregorian styles. They used flowers en masse to decorate their homes and for celebrations. The Early American floral designs also included sophisticated arrangements inspired by the British Georgian and French Rococo styles. They used flower bunches with vases for decoration.

• Victorian Period

The Victorian period featured lavish floral designs. Overflowing flowers, foliage, and round-shaped arrangements became quite popular. Lilies, roses, tulips, and other common garden flowers were mostly used for creating the designs. 

• Modern/ Contemporary period

The present-day floral designs were initially influenced by Victorian designs. However, in the modern period, we can also see the oriental styles. Further, today’s flower arrangements also merge with the Western styles of en masse arrangements.

In a nutshell, modern-day floral designs are the zenith of the unique history of flower arrangements. There are naturalistic flower bouquets, structural bouquets, wreaths, sprays, and even dry flower arrangements.