Hiding floral tape is key to creating a polished, professional-looking arrangement, especially in clear containers where the mechanics are visible.
Here's how to effectively conceal floral tape:
Why Hide Floral Tape?
Floral tape, often green or brown, is a practical tool used to secure stems, build structure (like grids across vase openings), or bind materials together. While functional, it can look messy or detract from the beauty of the flowers when visible. Concealing it ensures the focus remains on the arrangement itself.
Key Techniques for Concealing Floral Tape
Several methods can be employed, often depending on where the tape is used and the type of container.
Covering the Edge of the Vessel
One highly effective method, particularly useful with clear or glass vases, involves strategically placing materials around the rim.
As referenced, you can:
Add a shorter layer of flowers or foliage right around the edge to completely conceal the tape. This keeps the trick from being revealed! This approach works well for glass vessels.
- How it Works: Select shorter stems of flowers or foliage. Place them around the inside edge of the container, just below or at the rim, ensuring the material slightly spills over the edge or is dense enough to block the view of the tape used to create a grid or secure stems at the top.
- Examples: Use hosta leaves, large leaves like salal or lemon leaf cut short, moss, or small, dense flowers like hydrangeas or chrysanthemums placed right at the lip of the vase.
Wrapping the Container
If the tape is visible lower down on the container, or if you want to add a decorative element, wrapping is an option.
- How it Works: Use materials like ribbon, twine, burlap, or decorative paper to wrap around the section of the container where the tape is visible. Secure the wrap with glue or a knot.
- Examples: Wrap a wide satin ribbon around the neck of a vase where tape might be used to secure stems for a cascading effect, or use twine to wrap a rustic container.
Using Filler Materials Inside the Vessel
For clear containers where tape is used for a grid or to secure stems at the base, adding filler can hide the mechanics.
- How it Works: Place decorative materials like pebbles, glass beads, marbles, sand, or even moss inside the vase before adding water and stems. Ensure the filler material comes up high enough to cover any visible tape lines or stem bases secured with tape.
- Examples: Use clear glass pebbles in a cylindrical vase to cover tape used to secure crisscrossed stems at the bottom, or layer sand and small stones.
Summary of Techniques
Here's a quick overview of common methods:
| Method | Description | Ideal Containers |
|---|---|---|
| Covering Rim/Edge | Placing short stems of flowers/foliage around the top edge of the vase. | Glass, Clear Vessels |
| Wrapping Container | Applying ribbon, fabric, or twine around the exterior. | Various (Clear/Opaque) |
| Adding Internal Fillers | Using decorative materials like pebbles, sand, or marbles inside the vase. | Glass, Clear Vessels |
By employing these techniques, you can ensure that your floral arrangement looks clean and professional, with no distracting floral tape in sight.
