Wire- A Tool for Supporting Flowers . . .

A silent tool that helps the florist tremendously is wire.

Wire aids flower blooms in many different functions! Strong Wire adds strength to a floral stem. Thin wire can totally recreate a bloom. There are many different roles for wire in a floral setting.

In my floral designing, I use three gauges of wire. For strong support to fortify stems, I use #18. This is one of the heaviest gauges that the florist utilizes. It is great to support carnation blooms in funeral work. The gauge I use most often is #22. This gauge is flexible. It can used in many situations. It can support the stems, create shapes for designs, and it is great to hold together a bow! The thinnest gauge I use is #26. This gauge is used to wire flowers for corsages, boutonnieres and wedding bouquets. The thinness of the wire allows control to hold together the petals, but it takes skill and practice not to cut the petals. It is important to realize that this gauge of wire can cut your fingers like a razor if you pull it through your fingers. 

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This is a sample card supplied to the wholesalers by wire suppliers, Southern Steel & Wire, Inc. And Highland Wire, Inc.  The sample card was offered to the florists to show all wire gauges available. Orders could be made if a project required a special gauge and a minimum was met.

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My major tools for cutting wire are wire cutters and shears. I use wire cutters for gauges #18 and #22. When using #26 gauge, shears are better for me to cut the wire. The thinness of the wire does not always make a clean cut using wire cutters.  It is important that the cuts of the wire be neat, so as not to harm anyone.