Preface iii Principles of Floral Design: An Illustrated Guide has been designed for a new generation of students who want to explore career opportunities in fl oral design or simply want to learn the basics to use fl oral design as an outlet for their creativity. With hundreds of full-color illustrations, this text covers topics essential for the beginning designer and clearly conveys the theory and practice of fl oral design to guide students on their way to creating beautiful arrangements of their own. The authors wrote Principles of Floral Design to meet the need of a new textbook that is well-illustrated, practical, and technically accurate. Moreover, the authors recognized the need for new designers to be thoroughly informed on the basics of every aspect of the industry. The textbook was also written with a key goal to support the American Institute of Floral Designers’ (AIFD) initiative to engage a younger audience of potential fl oral designers. Dozens of Step-by-Step photo sequences have been created for this text by horticulture instructor Janet Gallagher, AIFD. These illustrated procedures are both an effective teaching and learning tool and form the cornerstone of our highly visual approach. These sequences allow fl oral design students to learn by doing, creating fl oral arrangements using commonly available, low-cost materials. Special care has been taken to introduce topics in Principles of Floral Design in a logical, building-block fashion using simple language. Chapter 1 discusses the basis of fl oral design and the careers people fi nd in, and supporting, this industry. Chapter 2 is a brief history of fl oral design, revealing how societies have used fl owers from ancient times to the modern era. Chapters 3 to 5 provide additional foundational knowledge. The material covered includes everything from tools and containers, plant structure and functions, to postharvest practices. Chapters 6 and 7 introduce and explain the principles and elements that are basic to not only fl oral design, but to design in general. Chapters 8 and 9 provide the background needed to select fl owers and foliage with confi dence and with artistic ends in mind. These chapters also include full-color glossaries containing hundreds of images of cut fl owers and cut foliage used in fl oral design. Students participating in FFA Career Development Events (CDE) fl oriculture competitions will fi nd these glossaries to be an excellent study aid when preparing for plant and fl ower identifi cation tests. Chapter 10 puts the principles and elements into action, illustrating types of fl oral designs from mechanic development and stem placement to fi nished geometric forms. Chapter 11 guides students into understanding and evaluating the environment into which arrangements will be placed, as well as how to develop themes using color schemes and accessories. In Chapters 12 through 17, students will learn about creating, customizing, and augmenting basic design forms to suit various occasions. Chapter 12 focuses on fl owers as personal adornments. Chapter 13 includes a thorough treatment of designing and marketing wedding fl owers in a multiethnic and multicultural society. Chapter 14 covers the mainstay holidays of the fl oral industry as well as a myriad of additional holidays and special occasions. Chapter 15 introduces and covers various fl ower arrangements for funerals and memorials, as well as proper