Commercial Floriculture

Arrangements

• Most lucrative segment in dried flower market, in terms of both total gross sales and unit returns.

a. Arrangements with dried plant materials
• This market is small, specialized and of higher value.
• Examples are wreaths, topiaries and swags.
• Indian cottage industries are well developed in handicrafts.

  Examples of common products used in India:
• Cotton pods, Exotic grasses and leaf material, large pine cones (Pinus sp), Unfurling fern fronds, dried capsicums (C. annum, C. frutescens), Barks and twigs, Ornamental gourds (Cucurbita pepo), Seed pods and heads.

b. Dried flower arrangements
• High income private hotels and retail uses. Dried items offer the arranger more flexibility than do fresh flowers. As a result creative possibilities are greater.
• Dried floral designers require products with a natural stalk of 15-40 cm. If stalks are not of an acceptable length, the products have wire stalks attached with hot-glue gums.
• Products used in dried flower arrangements are classified as Main blooms, Fillers, Liners and Exotics

  Main blooms: Plays a key role because of their shape, size and colours in making bouquets or arrangements. They also include assembled everlastings. Most common main blooms used within the market are statice (sea lavender) Strawflower (Helichrysum), Nigella, larkspur and roses.

  Fillers: are a group of products used in making bouquets and arrangements whose function is to add bulk to the flower arrangement. They help to fill any empty space in design.

  Liners: Are mostly ornamental grasses, so named because these grasses give a linear accent to an arrangement. Most commonly used grasses are Avena (animated oats), Halaris (Canary grass), Triticum (ornamental wheat) and Phleum (Timothy).
• In addition, a wide variety of plants such as typha (Cattail or reed mace), maize, sorghum, spiked millet (Pennisetum), dried branches and twigs of trees (eg: silver dollar eucalyptus) and shrubs can also be used. Exotics: Consists of a group of plants and plant materials which originate from various tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Indian Exotics include Lotus heads (Seed head from Nymphea species), palm spears (palm leaf cut into spear shapes) and okra pods.

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Floral handicraft
Handicraft products have served to generate new demand for dried flower products. This segment includes items such as:
• Collages
• Flowers pictures
  
• Cards and covers (press-dried flower and foliage)

Innovative items such as :-
• Candle stands
  
• Table lamps
  
• Picture frames
• Floral jewellary
  
• Mirror decorations
  
• Arrangements in glass containers
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