Principles and Elements of Floral Design
TEKS c (2) (D) Prepare Corsages and
Boutonnieres:
Mechanics of Taping Flowers
• Discover the purpose of wiring and
taping flowers.
• Determine the process of wiring and
taping flowers.
• Differentiate between the piercing
and hair pinning wiring methods.
• The purpose of wiring and taping a
component is to replace the stem with an
artificial one of wire and tape.
• This new “stem” can be manipulated, bent,
and bound with others like it.
• The real stem is cut off leaving ½ to ¾ of an
inch below the calyx.
• Leaving more of the stem adds bulk &
resistance to the newly attached wire.
• The real stem and wire are taped to
become one unit.
• Two types of wiring: Piercing and Hair
pinning.
• Both methods utilize floral wire.
• Most flowers should be wired with a 26
gauge wire or less– make sure the floral
wire is strong enough to support the
material.
• The piercing method is used for single flower heads
and broad leaves.
• Pierce the calyx horizontally and completely
through just below the petals.
• Pierce a leaf approximately 1/3 of the distance
from the stem.
• Fold both ends of the wire down to form a new
stem.
• Named for the shape of a bobby pin
• Used for branching foliage or flowers that have
lateral branches coming off the main stem.
• Place the wire 1/3 of the way up the stem and
crossed over the main mid rib of the leaf and
secured in the junction of a lateral branch coming
off the main stem.
• Holds the calyx, stem, and wire together.
• Floral tape comes in ½” or ¾” widths and has a
unique sticky property.
• Floral tape only sticks to itself when it is pulled and
stretched.
• Tape should be applied sparingly but with enough
overlap to stick to itself and hold.
• Roll and squeeze the wire covered in tape
between your thumb and index finger to make a
clean, smooth “stem”.
• Practice proper taping techniques by taping a
artificial flower to a pen.
• Materials needed:
• Pen
• Floral Tape
• Scissors
• Artificial flower
Cotton-tails.com
• What is the purpose of wiring and
taping flowers?
• How long do you leave the real stem?
• What are the two wiring methods?
• What makes floral tape sticky?
• Discovered the purpose of wiring and
taping flowers.
• Determined the process of wiring and
taping flowers.
• Differentiated between the piercing
and hair pinning wiring methods.