Industry History

The earliest known practice of flower arrangement dates back to the ancient Egyptian times, historical records indicate that the Egyptians were decorating with flowers as early as 2500BCE; this is shown on stone carvings and their painted wall decorations. Egyptians were known to put flowers in vases, use floral arrangements during burials, processions and table decorations.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans also had a passion for flowers, but instead of using pots and vases, they made garlands and wreaths, they also used petals on floors and beds. The foliage of choice was acorns, oak leaves, ivy, bay and parsley.

Ancient China was arranging flowers back in 207BCE, during this time flowers were used in medicine and religious teaching. Chinese were careful when choosing their flowers and strongly believed in their symbolic meanings, for example, the tiger lily, pomegranate and orchid symbolizes fertility.

Floristry did not arrive in Europe until around 1000 CE, where Europeans started using flowers for decoration in churches and monasteries. During the Italian Renaissance a wide variety of styles were developed for arranging flowers.

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