Grid?

[BloomingFlorida]

Do you grid as much as possible? Or avoid it unless you have to?

I ask because I just tried using a grid, and it was so much easier, and looked better overall. My lead designer doesn't grid, and I think she uses more product because of it. What's your take on griding?

 

[Rhonda]

never ever grid with clear tape or oasis tape anymore. I either use a kubari or an armature unless nothing else works.
Kubari of metallic wire or curly willow - armatures I usually make from birch branches or curly willow.
I have found on large (8" + opening) vases that I can use a decowire collar or make my own to lay across the top as a grid (armature).

 

[theflowersmith]

We grid our vases with clear tape. I have a high school kid put floral preservative in the vase and tape them. We use much less product and the arrangements make it to their destination looking like they did when they left the shop. We're in a pool, so several people are handling the vases.

We also use curly willow or aluminum wire at times.

 

[Rhonda]

forgot the reason we don't tape anymore. My instruction card that goes out with every design states: Vased arrangements - to change or add water, grasp bouquet at the vase top and remove in one piece, recut stems, add fresh water and flower food packet, replace flowers into vase.
Can't do that with a taped grid.

 

[Carol Bice]

When bouguets are made correctly, there really is no need to grid. My personal opinion is that the tape is tacky and always leaves a residue. I would challenge anyone to move my arrangements around in delivery and I don't use lots of greens....just have learned to do it without tape.

The labor of taping is a lot and you can't change out the water very easily. I make an assortment of greens (not a lot) and bind it with a very small electric strip and then add the filler and flowers.

 

[rewolf]

I'm a no-grid girl unless all else fails and it's an awkward vessel that I am working with.

I feel it is a crutch for my designers and that they should know how to build an arrangement without a grid. It's also hard to tweak an arrangement that has a grid.

I don't like the look of a grid and wander what the customer thinks when finding it.

 

[VJD]

I never used to grid - like over the past 20 years!!

But now, in the past month, at my new job, we do tons of cube vases for wedding guest tables, and cocktail tables. (3 x 3's; 4 x 4's; 5x 5's)

The boss likes the cubes to be taped, and I agree, I feel much more secure that the low arrangements won't "pop out".

The vases can be gridded quickly and neatly (about 30 seconds each) with a little practice.

Also, the arrangement has a cleaner look; fewer stems in the water; just nice lines of the major stems of flowers.

 

[CHR]

A design can be 'gridded' with a few stems of shrub-type foliages such as pitt, oregonia or boxwood in the center. This lessens the amount of greens (and insertions) needed around the perimeter to stabilize the flowers.

We change the water on nearly every design in a clear vase and a taped grid makes it very difficult to remove the unsightly debris bits that fall to the vase bottom.

Like Rhonda, we also use submerged armatures - curly willow, heavy oasis wire, etc... ) to lessen the amount of greens needed to stabilize the flowers for delivery.

 

[TGDragonfly]

A dear friend told me once it's "Floristry with training wheels"

 

[Tracy D'Amico]

we grid awakward cube vases when there is a clean look desired. Cubes of 3-4 stems of hydrangea have popped out in delivery too many times for me to NOT get over my aversion to gridding.

In everyday work with greenery & whatnot, we don't, for the same reason Rhonda mentioned. How is a customer supposed to re-cut stems from a grid (even if they never do, they need the accessibility to the stems).

It's a good design tip to give to garden clubs if you're doing presentations - to show them a gridded vase for ease of their designing at home.

 

[Carol Bice]

we grid awakward cube vases when there is a clean look desired. Cubes of 3-4 stems of hydrangea have popped out in delivery too many times for me to NOT get over my aversion to gridding.

I sound like a broken record, but, if you will use different sizes of electric tapes in good colors, these few stems will not pop out.

As Cathy and a couple others have said, learn to make a karbari or an armature of some type. If it is made well, they do not pop out of the vases. And, it does not take more product, in fact it usually takes less because you base has made it easier to design and it is far faster than gridding vases.

In the square vases, I made an assortment of small greens and use the smallest size electric strip to fasten them....set it in the water, then add what ever else you need to. It should be as secure as gridding and in my case, it is more secure. Practice this technique and you will find that you start leaving all that gridding behind.

 

[BloomingFlorida]

OK, I give... what's a karbari?

 

[artistry in bloom]

I never tape. I can't stand the stuff and half the time it doesn't stick correctly anyway. A few years ago I found a wholesaler(Cathay Importers) that sells different sized rolls of dried vines that are already in a grid. When I have to grid for cube vases I just cut the appropriate size from the role and fit it inside the lip of the vase.It saves time and flowers.
Dianne

 

[lori042499]

OK, I give... what's a karbari?

It is a japanese design style, from what I understand it is a wood cylinder with a slit that holds the flowers in place...so I would imagine that putting flowers down inside bamboo would be this style...I am no expert on this style and it is new to me since I went to college 20 years ago and it was not taught then...

 

[Rhonda]

http://www.ksfy.com/morning/bloom/27805194.html

Kubari is "structure" within the container which forms a "grid". -- decorative as well as useful in holding stems in place.
Armature is structure outside the container.

 

[Rhonda]

Kubari - inside the container
Armature - outside the container

 

[thebloomcloset]

Me Too

I never used to grid - like over the past 20 years!!

But now, in the past month, at my new job, we do tons of cube vases for wedding guest tables, and cocktail tables. (3 x 3's; 4 x 4's; 5x 5's)

The boss likes the cubes to be taped, and I agree, I feel much more secure that the low arrangements won't "pop out".


Also, the arrangement has a cleaner look; fewer stems in the water; just nice lines of the major stems of flowers.

We grid cube vases for that same reason, just makes it easier in delivery...

 

[802pianoluver]

Grid

forgot the reason we don't tape anymore. My instruction card that goes out with every design states: Vased arrangements - to change or add water, grasp bouquet at the vase top and remove in one piece, recut stems, add fresh water and flower food packet, replace flowers into vase.
Can't do that with a taped grid.

We also do the same, flowers last so much longer when they can have a fresh cut and the water changed totally.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

I have zero problem with a designer using tape, aka making a grid if they need to.

I do not make them feel bad for it either.

If I have a designer who needs to redo an arrangement over and over because she cannot get the arrangement to do what she wants/ needs it to do, BUT if she "grids" it it's done in 10 minutes, she can grid all day long for all I care.

Our designers get paid by the hour, I want them to go fast. We are not a big shop but we had 35 deliveries today. Not to mention all the walk-ins, probably 20, all wanting something right now, and 2 small weddings, 12 corsages on a different order, plus funeral and church work to get done for delivery BY 9am tomorrow. And the whole shop needed cleaning from last nights open house.

Whatever it takes it get it done, and quickly!! They can use clear tape, twigs, curly willow, rocks, aluminium wire, binding wire. I really don't care. I want it done quickly, beautifully, securely (we have lots of hills and mountains to go up and down you know) and I want it done right the first time.

We tell our customers just to top off the water. Our flowers last for weeks. Customers tell us all the time how long they last.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

It is a japanese design style, from what I understand it is a wood cylinder with a slit that holds the flowers in place...so I would imagine that putting flowers down inside bamboo would be this style...I am no expert on this style and it is new to me since I went to college 20 years ago and it was not taught then...

I think you might be talking about rikka.