Wiring heavy flowers such as roses and lilies requires a heavy thicker wire that will support the weight of the flower head
Wiring medium or light weight flowers like Gerbera and Chrysanthemum requires a wire that is between 22swg to 28swg
Wiring very fine flowers or foliage such as Daisy’s and tea tree requires fine wires 28swg or finer
Only wire when necessary
Too much wire may detract from your arrangement
It is important to get the proper thickness of wire right for each project
The size of the wire depends on the size of the flower and the intended use in each arrangement
If the wire is too large, it will damage the flower or stem
If the wire is too thin, there may not be enough support
Select a wire that is thin enough to support your project rather than thicker to be safer
Cutting Tips
You can buy special tools for cutting florist wires
Use a pair of basic wire cutters to do the job such as standard pliers or long nosed pliers
A serrated kitchen knife or Oasis ® craft scissor can work well
Do not use basic scissors as the wire can indent and notch the blade
Five Wiring Methods
Straight wire method
Use when stem and flower are complete
Mostly used for wiring flowers that will go into a vase
Take a piece of 20 gauge wire holding it about 2cm from the end
Insert the end of the wire 2cm into up into the base of the flower head
Wrap the remaining wire carefully around the stem going between the leaves
Try and show as little wire as possible
Hook method
The hook method will keep the stem from breaking in full flowers
This method is used for softer stem flowers or flowers that may break easily such as gerbera and chrysanthemum
It is also a popular method used for making corsage and sympathy tributes in which flower stems are cut down to between 2cm to 5cm
The wire is pushed up through the calyx and out the top of the flower
Alternatively, you can also push the wire along the centre of the stem
Next, you need to bend the end of the wire that sticks out top of flower into a hook
Then you pull the wire and the hook downward so that the hook disappears into the flower head
If you are using this method on flowers in a corsage, you will then need to tape over the wires
If you are using the hook method for making an arrangement, bend the remaining wire around the stem for support
Piercing method
The piercing method of flower wiring is used with flowers that have an enlarged calyx (flower head or cup) such as carnations and roses
Start by piercing a wire horizontally through the base of the flower head just above the leaves
Next, bend both ends of wire down and wrap longest end around stem
If you are making a corsage, you have cut down the flower stem to between 2cm and 5cm. Push the wire through so both ends of your wire is even then bend both sides down and tape
If you are wiring flowers for a foam or vase arrangement, push wire through the flower head about 10cm and then bend and bind both ends around the stem
Wrap method
The wrap method of wiring can be used to wire flowers with many smaller buds and foliage that has smaller leaves
Start by cutting the stem so that a small portion of the stem remains on the leaf
Use a 26-28 gauge wire to make a hairpin or “U” shape
Hang the hairpin over the lowest pair of leaflets so that the bend in the hairpin rests behind the stem
Wind one wire over both the other wire and the stem of the leaflet
Use floral tape to conceal the wirework around the stem
Stitch method
Use the stitch method of wiring foliage and flowers on broad leaf leathery-skinned foliage
By wiring foliage, you create flexibility and extend the greenery making it much easier to us
Pass a 26-gauge wire through the back of the leaf under the midrib
Stitch the wire around the midrib of the leaf about two thirds of the way up then bring the wire down through the stitching to form a loop
Then twist the ends together around the stem of the leaf to create an extension of the stem
Wrap the wires several times around the petiole
Conceal your work by taping the stem from the bottom up