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Pacific Southwest District
of the American Rose Society


Southern California, Southern Nevada,
Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas

Traditional Arrangements

By Susan Graham

Two previous articles have discussed arrangements in the Oriental Manner and Modern arrangements. Traditional designs are the third major type recognized by the American Rose Society. These are often described as art forms in space, as opposed to art forms of space. The three major kinds of traditional designs are Line, Line-Mass, and Mass. All three tend to be more formal than either Modern or Oriental Manner arrangements.

Traditional designs, regardless of kind, share some common characteristics:

  1. one point of emergence from a container with only one opening;
  2. a well-defined focal area at the point of emergence;
  3. radial placement of plant materials;
  4. larger forms and stronger colors placed low in the design, with smaller forms and lighter colors placed near the top;
  5. natural lines of growth emphasized;
  6. actual balance and visual balance very important;
  7. some plant material may overlap the edge of the container.

Mass designs have a closed silhouette, are symmetrical, and can be oval, circular, fan-shaped, or triangular in form. Each bloom should be distinct, and plant materials should not be crowded. Colors, forms, and textures are arranged for visual balance and rhythm. Materials are placed radially and lead to a focal area at the front of the container and just above the edge.

Line and line-mass designs show the Oriental influence on arranging in the West. Line designs have height and width, but very little depth except in the focal area where the line meets the container. There is movement in one dominant direction, and the arrangement is an open silhouette in space. If flowers and foliage are pruned, it is to accentuate and clarify the line and natural characteristics, rather than to distort them.

In line-mass designs, the silhouette remains open, but the dominant line and focal area are reinforced with additional plant material (roses), giving more depth and width in contrast to line designs. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between line and line-mass designs, and in our Spring Show, we will have one class that includes both kinds of designs.

In an ARS-sponsored rose show a rose or roses should provide the dominant floral interest. This is true for all design types: Traditional, Modern, and Oriental Manner.

This concludes the series of articles on the three major types of designs recognized by the American Rose Society. The Spring Show has classes for Novices and Junior Arrangers, and arrangers must specify design type on the entry tag. The Arrangements Schedule is posted at www.albuquerquerose.com; follow the link to the Spring Show. We hope many of you will enter one or more classes this spring. If any arranger has questions about design types, please contact Susan Graham or Kreg Hill.