Though many gaze at a bouquet and simply see a collection of lovely flowers, there are so many flower styles to tell knowledgeable eyes a story. Almost every country and region of the world where flowers has its own style of arranging.

Through the centuries designs with certain lines and forms, color groupings and floral balance have become known as Asian or Eastern, Western, Traditional and European styles, among others. And, of course, each style grouping can be broken down even further by region or era, in many cases. European-style flower arranging, for instance, covers a wide area, and here’s the 101 on few of the more well-known types.

Traditional Flower Styles

Traditional European arrangements contain a mass of flowers, typically gathered into dome or wreath shapes, crescents or sometimes a T-shape. Often, florists will group same hues together throughout the bouquet, tying the stems or gathering them together. Wondering what that looks like? Check out amazing traditional floral designs created by a local LA florist!

Victorian Influence

The British Victorian period, which lasted from about 1820 to 1901, influenced a number of things in art and culture, including floral arrangements. Vast porcelain urns were crammed full of flowers, as were smaller vases and pewter pots. English gardens were the pride of many households, and flower arrangers had their pick of many colorful blooms to choose from. Floral arrangements adorned households, church buildings and many other public spaces, and many designers were anxious to showcase their art.

Contemporary European Flower Style

Most of today’s florists create their unique designs in a variety of styles, including European, Western and Eastern. Some, in fact, are more partial to a type of hybrid that combines the clean, spare lines of the Japanese Ikebana style of flower arranging with the colorful masses of European arrangements. As a matter of course, artists of all sorts, including floral designers, borrow, combine and create new and wonderful things from traditional elements.

You can always just browse through the pictures of the unique bouquets designed by our BloomNation florists, and never know the style they are in. It might be fun to attempt a guess, however–you can always ask the local florist you are dealing with if you are right or not. They will be happy to answer and, of course, to create a bouquet just for you in whichever style you love.